You probably already know the suggested list for staying healthy: eat right, exercise and get a good night’s sleep. What you might not know is that exploring your creativity through art like writing, singing, dancing, drawing, pottery, painting and more can also help you thrive. In fact, ongoing research suggests that creative programs for seniors can help improve the health, well-being and independence of older adults by increasing cognitive function and memory and raising self-esteem and wellbeing.

What is Art Therapy?

Art therapy is a creative and expressive form of therapy that uses art materials to explore your emotions, thoughts and experiences. Its purpose is to facilitate personal growth, promote self-awareness and enhance emotional wellbeing.

In addition to promoting self-expression, art therapy for seniors also encourages reflection and introspection. By working on art projects, you can gain insight into your personal experiences and gain new perspectives on your emotions and behaviors. This increased self-awareness can lead to positive changes in your life and attitude.

9 Senior Art Therapy Benefits

Not only can making art be fun and give you the freedom to try something different, but it also has these advantages:

1. Improved Cognitive Function: Art therapy challenges seniors to make art and stimulate the senses to become sharper. Learning new art forms can enhance thinking skills and make it easier to make quick neural connections.
2. Mood boost: Art therapy can reduce feelings of anxiety, depression and stress. Studies show that older adults who participated in art wellness programs experienced lower levels of depression and loneliness and were generally more positive.
3. Improved motor skills: Practicing skills like painting and drawing requires physically exercising your hands and arms. Over time, this activity can improve muscle coordination, enhance blood flow and build better dexterity.
4. Opportunities to socialize: Participating in emotional health activities for seniors like art therapy, will give you an opportunity to meet like-minded people on a regular basis. These connections can help combat loneliness and isolation while improving your emotional health.
5. Greater self-expression: Art therapy provides an alternative method of expression for your feelings and thoughts by participating in creative projects that allow you to more freely express yourself. Who knows? It might even help you discover a new passion for art in the process.
6. Pain Relief: Art therapy may also help with disorders associated with chronic pain like arthritis because you’re able to focus more on being creative and less on your pain. It also encourages relaxation, which can promote emotional healing and wellness.
7. Discover new ways of thinking: Expressing yourself creatively can cause you to think differently about life by encouraging you to use parts of your body and brain that you may not use as often. Exploring new movements and thoughts can even help expand and change your perspectives.
8. Improved memory: Research published in the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology shows that people who engaged in artistic activities, such as painting, drawing and sculpting, in both middle and old age, were 73% less likely to have memory and thinking problems, such as mild cognitive impairment, that can lead to dementia.
9. Feelings of accomplishment: Another benefit of being creative is the feeling of satisfaction that comes with creating a piece of art. Being able to sit back and admire something that you made can be incredibly gratifying. It may even have a transformative impact on your day.

Tap into Your Creative Side at Santa Marta

As part of our whole person wellness philosophy, Santa Marta offers art programs along with 200 monthly activities featuring classes, clubs, outings and more. See everything we have to offer by checking out our independent living calendar. You can then schedule a personal visit by contacting us here and chatting with one of our senior living counselors.