The Arts offer numerous benefits to health, especially to mental health. For example, listening to music can calm you down or improve your mood. On the other hand, dancing with other people can keep the body fit while expanding your circle of friends. While painting, sketching, drawing, or pottery can give a sense of accomplishment to the artists after creating their art.
Whichever type of art you enjoy, engaging and doing them regularly will improve your mental health, quality of life, and your outlook in life.
Importance Of Mental Health To Older People
Mental health is just as important as physical health, especially for older adults like your grandparents. Good mental health affects how a person feels, their outlook in life, and overall well-being. Older people are more prone to mental health problems due to various reasons. Such as seeing their friends and loved ones pass away. Also, there are older adults that are neglected and abandoned. This can cause trauma, loneliness, and a feeling of not being in control of their lives.
Older adults are vulnerable to mental health problems. Some experience anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders. Experiencing mental health problems is not a common or normal part of aging. There are many causes of mental health problems. That’s why consulting a professional is necessary for accurate diagnosis and medication if needed.
Benefits Of Art To Mental Health
Detrimental mental health leads to numerous serious health problems such as dementia and depression. That’s why it’s necessary to look for ways or methods to improve the mental health of older adults to help them feel better and be themselves. This is where the Arts come in.
The Arts offer a great and creative way to create something beautiful and express the artists’ feelings. Older adults can show their creativity, heart, and feelings through their art. Aside from making some lovely pieces of art, here are 6 benefits of art to the mental health of older adults.
Relieves Stress
Artistic activities and hobbies such as painting, pottery, drawing, and sculpting decrease stress levels and have a calming effect on the brain. This is because when you create art, your mind wanders and forgets the problems that stress you out for a moment. The artists set aside all their worries and focus on creating their art like grandparents painting.
Art provides a relaxing and calming distraction and relieves stress for people of all ages.
Boost Creative Thinking
Art encourages creative thinking and to use the imagination. It stimulates the brain to function and look for ways to create art. There’s no definite method in art. Meaning, there’s no right or wrong answer. This leads to improving the problem-solving skills and creative thinking of people. Which are very important for older adults.
Cognitive Abilities And Memory
Art enhances the cognitive abilities and memory of older adults or those with brain disorders like Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Creating art or looking at amazing artwork will boost their connection to other people and encourage cell growth in their brains. Looking at art made by other people or yourself gives a sense of pleasure and accomplishment to the artists.
In addition, when a person enjoys creating something, it stimulates the brain to create new neural pathways leading to improved overall well-being, slowing down brain aging, and preventing depression.
If you still haven’t allowed your grandparents or older adults in your family to visit a museum or enroll in an art class, you should definitely allow them right now.
Forget Pain
Older adults experience different types of pain such as arthritis, depression, anxiety, stress, and other health problems. If they’re not doing anything, people tend to dwell on their problems which makes the problems worse. Taking your loved ones and older adults in your family to museums or encouraging them to attend art classes helps them forget the pain they’re feeling and experiencing.
Enhance Self-Esteem And Self-Worth
Creating art enhances the self-esteem and self-worth of older adults. They’re able to do something beautiful, giving them a sense of accomplishment and giving them control over their lives. When they finish a project, dopamine production will greatly enhance. As a result, it improves their concentration, boosts their mood, and makes them feel good about themselves.
Gives A Feeling Of Community
Older adults tend to feel alone and isolated. They aren’t as active as before and some can’t move as much. As a result, they feel detached from the world. In art classes, there’s a sense of community due to the common interest in art. By joining art classes, they’ll meet new people and feel connected.
Conclusion
Mental health is important for all, especially for older adults. This is because they see their friends and loved ones pass away or move on to their own lives leaving them behind. Some older adults feel alone, neglected, and lonely. Art is a way to boost their morale and self-worth. By enrolling in art classes or admiring beautiful commissioned portraits from Memorialize Art, you’ll be able to boost your grandparents and older loved ones’ mental health, improving their overall well-being.
Whether your grandparents are rekindling their former passion or trying them out for the first time, the mental health benefits of art are unquestionable. Take the time, go with them, and let your grandparents enjoy creating art.
Disclaimer: This article contains sponsored marketing content. It is intended for promotional purposes and should not be considered as an endorsement or recommendation by our website. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research and exercise their own judgment before making any decisions based on the information provided in this article.
