Art has always been considered as a therapeutic process since ages for it gives a mentally satisfying experience and can literally be a forum for creating ‘something from nothing’! It can be pursued as a full-time profession or a hobby.
Art therapy is an integrative approach which combines the psychological aspects of human development with creativity and visualization to support mental, cognitive and sensory-motor functions. It has essentially evolved from the idea that expressions through artistic and creative capabilities can help people improve social, emotional and physical aspects of health and promote their overall well-being.
In particular, this therapy plays a remarkable role in healthier and happier aging and can be a valuable resource in improving the quality of life of seniors. Research studies reveal that elders who engage themselves in some form of art are found to have better physical stamina, need lesser medications, make fewer visits for physician consultations and are even less likely to experience trips and falls. Art therapy provides constructive engagement to seniors in a social environment.
Benefits of Art Therapy for Seniors
- Relaxes the mind by reducing anxiety, stress, depression and isolation
- Reduces the feeling of boredom
- Nurtures better self-control power
- Enhances communication and socialization skills
- Improves cognitive capabilities and enunciates sensory/intellectual simulation
- Strengthens physical/motor skills, coordination skills and eases pain symptoms
- Promotes a strong sense of identity and worthiness
- Boosts self-esteem, self-awareness and dignity
- Increases trust and faith for building better relationships
- Inculcates emotional resilience
- Encourages rational thinking and insights
- Evolves social and ecological improvements
- Elevates the mood and resolves mind conflicts by decreasing feelings of despair and distress
- Establishes better social connections and relationships
- Provides transformational effects on seniors needing memory care as it gives them a creative opportunity to express their feelings and develop a bonding with one other. This is particularly useful for those who cannot write or use language meaningfully including Dementia and Alzheimer’s patients.
- Decreases aggressive behaviour and frustration by eliciting ideas for expression
- Ensures that artistic capabilities are retained despite compromised brain activity and memory impairments due to aging
Some Types of Art Therapy
1. Painting
This form of art therapy provides limitless opportunities for expressing your emotions and creativity. Professionally trained art therapists can guide you initially by giving prompts and assignments. Exploring your thoughts and converting it in a visible form as a painting on an empty canvas rejuvenates your sense of freedom as it provides seamless possibilities for expression.
2. Collaging
Here seniors can choose, cut and paste pictures or photos into a collection. It can be based on inspirational or expressional themes. Collaging allows you to exploit your personal sense of art without having to draw or paint and can even be used to visualize your dream life and goals.
3. Digital Art
This art technique can be used by tech-savvy adults by deploying a drawing software or electronic collage-maker on a computer to make their own illustrations. The endless features of digitization help you to tap your artistic skills to the maximum for creating various expressive art models.
4. Photography
Technology advancements with built-in HD cameras in smart phones or affordable professional cameras allow elders to use photography as an outlet for expressing their emotions and ideas. They can choose to take photos based on topics of their choice and further create collages to convert them to meaningful and lasting memories for a lifetime.
5. Puppet/Toy Making
Making toys and puppets can be a simple but enjoyable way for older adults to make beautiful creations and overcome motor skill disabilities. This art can evolve to become their favourite hobby and act as a means for connecting better with the younger generation (especially grandchildren).
6. Pottery
Using the pottery wheel for making clay pots is an easy intervention method that benefits elders with physical and cognitive issues. This art is known to reduce anxiety and boost self-esteem.
7. Mandalas
These symmetrical circular art pieces can be used for promoting meditative states and attention focus. The seniors are required to intuitively select a mandala design from a set of cards and colour it according to their preferences. The choices made, in turn, reveal their emotional status.
Colour Therapy
Colour therapy is a holistic approach to healing that utilizes the visible light spectrum and colours form impacting a person’s mood and thereby positively affect their physical and mental health. Every colour has attributes of specific vibration and frequency that can influence the energy levels in our body. This therapy is particularly beneficial to seniors with emotional problems or brain orders as it activates hormones enabling better healing.
It even provides a calming effect on the mind and reduces blood pressure. Examples for deploying colour therapy can include painting room with relevant colours for treating prevailing health conditions, using natural colours from surroundings and deploying crystals to break up sunlight in healing rooms.
With the benefits of colour therapy being recognised widely, it is being used as an activity senior living communities and assisted living centres as well. It is not only the peace gained by colouring but also a sense of accomplishment that benefits seniors immensely.
With increasing health consciousness, a significant segment of the adult population is using art therapy and colour therapy as a vehicle for preventing age-related impairments and aiding the healing process.
