The little intervention that could: creative aging implies healthy aging among Canadian seniors

Abstract

Objectives

Through a process of ‘creative ageing’, there is increased interest in how active participation in the arts can help promote health and well-being among seniors. However, few studies have quantitatively examined the benefits of a foray into artistic expression, and even fewer employ rigorous identification strategies. Addressing this knowledge gap, we use a series of quantitative techniques (ordinary least squares and quantile regression) to analyze the impact of an arts-based intervention targeting the elderly.

Methods

Recruited from Saint John, New Brunswick (a city of about 125,000 people in Eastern Canada), 130 seniors were randomly assigned to the programme, with the remaining 122 serving as the control. This intervention consisted of weekly 2-h art sessions (i.e. drawing, painting, collage, clay-work, performance, sculpting, and mixed media), taking place from January 2020 until April 2021.

Results

Relative to the control group, the intervention tended to reduce participant loneliness and depression, and improve their mental health. Outcomes were more evident toward the latter part of the programme, were increasing in attendance, and most efficacious among those with initially low levels of well-being.

Conclusion

These findings imply that creative ageing promotes healthy ageing, which is especially noteworthy given COVID-19 likely attenuated our results.

Keywords:

• Creativity
• arts
• well-being
• health
• ageing

Ethical approval

Research Ethics Board of the University of New Brunswick, project number 002-2020.

Disclosure statement

Anita Punamiya is the founder and CEO of Art4Life Inc. and Alekhya Das was employed by this social enterprise; however, the organization is not currently active. The remaining authors have no interests to declare.

Notes

1 We recognize that those already exposed to the arts may have been more inclined to volunteer for this study. However, an informal poll suggests that most did not participate in artistic endeavours on a regular basis. In fact, for some participants, this was their first encounter with an arts-based activity. Likewise, no one reported having a professional background in the arts.

2 Prior to the programme, each artist received training in working with the elderly. As noted in section Discussion and conclusion, Chilton and Wilkinson (2009) argue that such training can enhance positive outcomes.

3 For instance, the second block consisted of: creative movement, water colour painting, sculpting, and mixed media.

4 Online sessions were not offered as they would have caused material deviation from the originally intended provision of in-person, group-based activity. Moreover, many participants were not technologically equipped to access online programmes and others were averse to such methods.

5 Over 45% of the attrition came after the March 2020 lock-down. Additionally, about 33% of the attrition occurred after we announced group membership—i.e. many in the control group dropped out upon learning they had not been randomly selected. To our knowledge, the bulk of attrition was not due to health issues or death.

6 Extending Equation (2)(2) $$y_{\mathit{\text{it}}}^j={\alpha }_1+{\beta }_1\mathit{\text{AR}}{T}_{\mathit{\text{it}}}+\sum _{t=2}^5{\beta }_t{T}_t+\sum _{t=2}^5{\alpha }_t{(\mathit{\text{ART}}\times T)}_{\mathit{\text{it}}}+X_{\mathit{\text{it}}}^{\prime }\gamma +e_{\mathit{\text{it}}}.$$(2) to include quantile regressions methods, produces similar results; thus, for brevity purposes, we focus on estimates where time is defined in continuous terms. Quantile regression results, whereby time is defined in discrete terms, are available from the lead author upon request.

7 The complete set of results are very much akin to those presented in Tables A1 and A2.

Additional information

Funding

The authors respectfully acknowledge funding support from the New Brunswick Department of Social Development, Healthy Seniors Pilot Project (#C0002). The funders had no involvement in this study.