Ageing Creatively: a pilot study to explore the relation of creative arts interventions to wellbeing in later life

The therapeutic and healing use of the creative arts (e.g. music, poetry, dance and painting) has a long history and recent studies have explored the benefits of older groups of people engaging in creative arts, reporting improved physical health and social interaction.

However, while many many studies discuss the outcomes of the creative activity (e.g. increased confidence), the process of engagement itself is often not examined. To develop a robust creative arts intervention, we need to better understand what the creative activity means for participants - both the effects on their lives/wellbeing and the process of engagement.

The pilot study aims to:

  • identify how participating in creative arts for older people may lead to outcomes with positive effects on their health and sense of wellbeing (where ‘wellbeing’ is defined by participants)
  • explain and test our choice of methods through creative art workshops (music, literature and the visual arts)
  • design a major follow-on study that builds on lessons learnt in the pilot

Further information

For more information please visit: http://research.ncl.ac.uk/ageingcreatively/