Senior Sidekicks
  • Home
    • FAQ
  • Contact
  • Service Plans
    • Parenting Your Parent Course
    • Medical Visit Companion Stand-by Plan
    • Medical Visit Companion Vacation Plan
    • Consultations And Home Studies
  • Blogs & Articles
    • A Senior Moment
    • "A Senior Moment." - Archive
    • Article Portfolio
  • Home
    • FAQ
  • Contact
  • Service Plans
    • Parenting Your Parent Course
    • Medical Visit Companion Stand-by Plan
    • Medical Visit Companion Vacation Plan
    • Consultations And Home Studies
  • Blogs & Articles
    • A Senior Moment
    • "A Senior Moment." - Archive
    • Article Portfolio

Art And Depression

9/1/2017

1 Comment

 
Picture
Who knew that art might make a critical difference in the treatment of elder depression?   In 2001, Dr. Gene Cohen conducted the first experimental study of seniors in cultural programs and its effect on general health, mental health, and social activities: Creativity and Aging.

This study has been citied repeatedly in other works and became a foundation for senior programming.   As I researched elder depression, I was struck by three things in relation to this study. First, the date, Creativity and Aging was only done in 2001.  We have drawn since we had cave walls.  What took us so long to consider the relationship between creative arts and seniors achieving a healthier quality of life?  How’s that for an outcome?

Second, the design of the study was notable because it included a control group.  How else does one obtain hard data?  Once the comparisons were made, it was clear; the arts make a difference.  We worry about rising health care costs.  Perhaps, we could lower direct healthcare costs by utilizing proven cultural programs.  If, as this study demonstrates, cultural programs achieve true health promotion and disease prevention effects, why aren’t we using this method to address senior health issues? 

Third, the seniors studied were OLDER that the average life expectancy!  Wow, does that mean we could achieve even more positive health outcomes if we started cultural programming earlier, on younger seniors?

It’s something to think about.  Medical costs are expanding the way we do things now.  I believe it’s time to consider other methods as additions to direct medicine.  Think about it.

1 Comment

    Author

     "A Senior Moment" is written by Ms. Sara Lieber, owner of Senior Sidekicks. Ms. Lieber has over 30 years of experience in senior care.


    Archives

    August 2019
    July 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    December 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    AARP
    Adult Children
    Aging Population
    Alocohol
    Alzheimer's Association
    Alzheimr's
    American Society On Aging
    Art
    Bosses
    Campaign
    Caregivers
    Caregiver Shortage
    Cargiving
    Catastrophic
    Changes
    Children
    Christmas
    Churches
    Classes
    Community
    Cortisol
    Counselors
    Course
    Crazy
    Dementia
    Depressoin
    Designer Drugs
    Downsizing
    Drugs
    Drug Testing
    Elder Boom
    Elderly
    Employer
    Employers
    Employment
    Faith
    Families
    Family Medical Leave Act
    Fight Or Flight Response
    FLMA
    God
    Hanukka
    Health Complaints
    Holidays
    Home
    House
    Hr
    Human Rescources
    Illinois
    Legacy
    Maine
    Medicaid
    Medical Visit Companion
    Million
    News
    Nursing Home
    Opioid Epidemic
    Opioids
    Organizations
    Paid Time Off
    Parents
    Pastoral Counselors
    Performance
    Planning
    Plans
    Preparing To Parent Your Parent Course
    Presidential Campaign 2020
    Psychiatric Disorder
    PTO
    Real Estate
    Realtors
    Realty
    Religious
    Retirement
    Sara Lieber
    Self Care
    Self-care
    Senior Depression
    Senior Population
    Seniors
    Senior Sidekicks
    Shortage
    SHRM
    Sisters
    Special Occassion Service
    Special Occassion Services
    Springfield
    Stress
    Stress Hormone
    Stressors
    Study
    Sugar
    Sundowner
    Symptom
    Symptom Picture
    Symptoms
    Synagogues
    Thanksgiving
    The Aid & Attendance Pension Benefit
    Two
    United States
    United States Wages
    Unpaid Family Care
    U.S. Wages
    VA
    Veterans
    Veterans Financial
    Visits
    Worker Shortage
    Young People

Proudly powered by Weebly