Effectiveness and Meaningfulness of Art Therapy as a tool for healthy aging: a systematic review protocol.

Abstract

Review Question/s What is the impact of Art Therapy participation on the individuals’ wellness and emotional needs? What is the experience and meaningfulness of the aged person and their participation either in group Art Therapy situations or in one on one situations? Inclusion Criteria Types of Participants Participants will be people aged 65 years or over with no evidence of dementia or other cognitive disabilities. They will either be in nursing home care, community care, day care, residential, low-care, supported living or the medical home. They may have no family or other emotional support and be suffering from increasing introspection. Types of Interventions The intervention of interest will be Art Therapy with the focus on the visual arts. All available techniques will be considered, including for example, art therapy sessions using a variety of tools, drawing, painting, computer manipulated imagery, photography and any other mode of visual expression. Art Therapy techniques examined will be those used in the group situation or with the individual aged person. Examined will also be who runs the art therapy program, is it an artist, professional art therapist, general therapist, is the therapy self-directed, how long will the sessions run for, what time period are sessions conducted over? Are these programs six months, twelve months etc how do the frail aged cope with half hour sessions or one hour sessions. Types of Outcome Measures Quantitative outcomes will look at the measureable psychological and psychosocial outcomes and behavioural characteristics resulting from Art Therapy. Indicators will include measures of cognitive function, Quality of Life (QOL) scales, depression scales, frequency of participation in activities and art therapy assessment scales. What are the participants’ communicative skills, social interaction, and quality of social interaction, behavioural problems e.g. stereotypic behaviour, and attention and concentration skills? Do they have an improved cognitive abilities, do they cope with stress and adverse events more easily. Qualitative outcomes will be subjective from the patient’s point of view, how they react to what feelings and emotions they are experiencing from the therapy sessions. Does the reminiscing help or make them feel sad for what they’ve lost, or happy for what they’ve had in their past? Reasons for exclusion Studies will be excluded if they are about the performing arts - music, dance and drama. Participants will be excluded if they are under 65 years of age, and if they have been diagnosed with dementia, Alzheimer’s or other cognitive disorders. Editorials and opinion articles will be excluded.