Art is a creative, focused, self-reflective activity, capable of producing positive thoughts and emotions. When guided by a highly trained professional, its therapeutic impact can be profound. So can creating art serve as therapy specifically for older adults? Keep reading and find out how it can!

What Does an Art Therapist Do?

An art therapist is a mental health professional who possesses at minimum a master’s degree in art therapy from an Art Therapy Association-accredited program. They do not have to be gifted artists, but they do have to have experience with a variety of art mediums, such as painting, drawing, sculpture and pottery-making.

Art therapists don’t critique a person’s art, but rather help guide them in using art to freely express their feelings and emotions. They help develop skills that increase their students’ cognitive ability and self-awareness, and improve their interactions with others through the practice of art.

How Can Seniors Benefit from Art Therapy

Art therapy for seniors is a treatment program that can help improve or heal mental or emotional wounds, restore function, and boost health and wellbeing.

It can be helpful for many issues, such as:

  • Medical impairments
  • Dementia
  • Cancer
  • Depression
  • Grief
  • Severe stress and anxiety

Learning new art forms can enhance thinking skills and help those who are struggling to relax or deal with frustration, and focus on positive feelings.

Art therapy can also provide physical benefits by exercising hands and arms through its movement, improving muscle coordination and dexterity, and enhancing blood flow.

In an art therapy group setting, participants gather with likeminded people and interact with them, which can help address feelings of loneliness and isolation.

Focusing on creating art can help you relax, which can in turn ease chronic pain.

Practicing creative arts may help people with dementia recover forgotten memories about loved ones, think more clearly, and connect with those around them.

What the Research Has Shown

A 2018 study of senior participants indicated that art therapy reduces stress and confusion, which in turn leads to decreased depression, and increased cognitive function. Other advantages include a sense of accomplishment, improvements in hand dexterity and pain relief, and the improvement of communication with loved ones.

A National Institutes of Health examination of 31 reviewed studies on the benefit of the arts for older adults revealed “overwhelming positive cognitive and quality of life results for seniors participating in various art forms.” These art forms included:

  • Dance
  • Creative writing
  • Music
  • Theatre
  • Visual arts

Where do Art Therapists Work?

According to the American Art Therapy Association (AATA), art therapists work with individuals, couples, families and groups in a variety of settings. You might find them working in the following:

  • Hospitals
  • Schools
  • Veterans’ clinics
  • Physician Private practices
  • Psychiatric and rehabilitation facilities
  • Community clinics
  • Crisis centers
  • Forensic institutions
  • Senior Living communities

For more ideas on activities for seniors, please visit Bethesda’s Health & Wellness blog.

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