The act of creating something out of nothing always leaves the creator satisfied. For a long time, the process of art creation has been used as an instrument for healing for all ages. Art therapy involves creative processes such as painting, drawing, sculpting and colouring to help people release their creative capabilities and understand themselves.
Art therapy as a means to manage depression in older adults has seen a lot of success. It allows them to enjoy the joy of creating while boosting their self-esteem and allowing them to live a better quality of life.
Benefits of Art Therapy for Elderly Depression Management
- Allows seniors to express themselves
Whether art is being created or consumed, it gets people thinking. It prompts them to explore their thoughts and emotions making them more self-aware. Many seniors have difficulty in communicating with others and expressing themselves. By applying art therapy, seniors will be able to communicate their emotions better making it easier for people around them to understand their needs and wants. Visually expressing their thoughts is a powerful way for them to express themselves. Since art therapy makes you think more, it can even help them understand themselves better. Ultimately, it can increase their motivation and self-esteem making them more confident individuals.
- Helps seniors to relax
By focusing their attention on creating art, seniors are able to process more of their positive feelings. The soothing effect of art therapy helps seniors to move away from negative thoughts making it the perfect solution to beat stress, depression and isolation. It enhances their moods, reduces their anxiety and keeps them calm throughout. Since they are also able to express themselves better, they are often left relieved from anxiety, stress and confusion after a session.
- Helps seniors manage physical pain
A lot of the times, seniors become depressed because they feel that their body is failing them and they begin to lose their abilities. Art therapy involves light physical activities which can improve dexterity in the hands, wrists and fingers. As we use our hands to create art, it helps improve our hand-eye coordination and increases blood flow to the hand. Hence, elderly who may have arthritis or joint pain can use art therapy to help relieve them of some inflammation and pain.
- Facilitates socialisation
Isolation in seniors is a growing concern and many of their children are concerned about leaving the elderly parents alone with nothing to do. Art therapy is usually hosted in social and open environment where creators can create surrounded by other participants. This gives them a chance to mingle around develop relationships to draw them away from the feeling of isolation. Art therapy also works on improving their social skills allowing them to make new friends in a casual setting. Art is a great conversation starter and loneliness stopper.
- Reduces the chances of memory conditions
Due to age and health-related issues, many seniors may be prone to or may already be suffering from memory issues. Memory loss can also lead to depressive phases where one feels stressed out in isolation. Involving the elderly in art therapy at an earlier stage may reduce the rate of development of memory conditions such as Alzheimer’s. This is so because art therapy sharpens the mind by stimulating healthy brain activity which helps boost cognitive function. Furthermore, art challenges the brain and makes it expand it’s thought and stimulate its senses, which could trigger long-forgotten memories.
With numerous positive effects that art therapy can have on the elderly, it is important to encourage its application in their lives. While they may seem a little hesitant to try something new, they should be made to understand the different ways it can benefit them. Many senior-care and senior living residences have incorporated art into their list of engaging activities for seniors.
At Primus, we offer excellent healthcare and support services for our residents. Keeping in mind all the benefits, we regularly host art sessions for residents. The activities and events we host are curated to ensure that our guests are given the utmost care and comfort without leaving out the element of fun. For more information https://www.primuslife.in/
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