Bringing museums closer to older people to improve emotional well-being
The demographic changes experienced in recent years, the increase in life expectancy and the decrease in birth rates have led to a very significant increase in the social weight of older people in our society.
The elderly population is very diverse, ranging from individuals with a high degree of well-being and independence to those experiencing suffering and emotional distress that requires treatment. The degree of emotional distress is multifactorial and depends on each person's individual circumstances.
The factors that influence this are:
- Residential situation: whether you live alone, with a partner, with a caregiver, with relatives or in a residential center and, consequently, whether you experience unwanted loneliness.
- Their socio-health situation: whether they have chronic illnesses or mental health problems such as anxiety or depression.
- The socioeconomic situation: what resources they have, the conditions of their housing (do they have electricity, if there is an elevator).
- Their own personality and resilience.
In 2020, after five months of COVID-19 lockdown, it became clear that the situation significantly altered the daily lives of older people, as they stopped engaging in activities they previously did independently or at the day centers they attended. However, the impact was particularly devastating in nursing homes, with situations that affected the entire community.
The World Health Organization's (WHO) definition of health provides a global view of the person in their complexity: "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."
How can art help improve people's emotional well-being and mental health?
In recent years, healthcare professionals have studied the contributions of the arts to disease treatment and to health promotion and prevention interventions. A sense of purpose in life is an important aspect of positive psychological functioning for older adults, and the arts can influence this sense of purpose. In fact, the WHO has included culture, and therefore the various artistic disciplines, within the healthcare system, recognizing this role.
In this sense, the concept of social prescription is implemented with the idea that primary health care professionals prescribe community activities to the people they attend, activities that improve their well-being and that can be carried out in the entities of their neighborhood or city.
The range of activities that the artistic sector and the community environment make available to health professionals when addressing a specific pathology is very broad: visiting a museum, dancing, walking in the natural environment, going to the cinema, doing theatre, singing in a choir, drawing or painting, a reading workshop, etc.
Bringing culture closer to elderly people who cannot travel
The limitations imposed by the pandemic foreshadowed changes in cultural activities, especially during the period when cultural centers were forced to close and communicate online with their users. The cultural sector had limited experience in digital communication with older adults. Museums, during this time, considered how to turn the situation around. If these older adults couldn't come to our museums, how could we reach them? The fundamental objective behind this thinking was to alleviate, as much as possible, the disconnection, isolation, and lack of social interaction that was having a very worrying impact on the emotional well-being of older adults.
From there, two programs were born at Apropa Cultura :
The Museum Comes Closer
It arose when the Barcelona City Council's Municipal Institute of Social Services (IMSS) requested emergency intervention from Apropa Cultura for the four municipal residences under its jurisdiction, which carry out cultural activities. Three objectives are proposed:
- That would help, primarily, to improve the mood of the users.
- Working on the cognitive aspect.
- To foster interpersonal relationships.
Apropa Cultura is considering in-person visits to artist residencies with activities organized by the museums . They requested art-based sessions from two Barcelona museums, the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC) and the CCCB. A pilot program was launched in September 2020. After confirming its positive impact, based on the results of an evaluation using the NPT-ES (Non-Pharmacological Therapy Experience Scale) (Muñiz, Olazarán, Lago, and Peña-Casanova, 2011), the program was extended to other museums: the Picasso Museum, the Barcelona Museum of Natural Sciences, the Ethnological and World Cultures Museum, the Barcelona History Museum (MUHBA), the Design Museum, the Frederic Marès Museum, the Antoni Tàpies Foundation, Montjuïc Castle, and the Suñol Foundation. One of these museums proposed an intervention related to its programming: the permanent collection, a temporary exhibition, the building itself, or a specific artist.
The Dance Approaches
The program continued throughout 2021, incorporating additional residencies. In 2022, the Barcelona City Council maintained its support and launched a joint program between museums and another artistic discipline, dance, called "Dance Comes Closer ." Five professional dancers participate in residencies, participating in a program that combines physical activity, music, dance, and attending dance performances in theaters. This program won the award for best social program from the Catalan Association of Dance Professionals.
Among the results of both programs we can highlight that, despite the difficulties, especially due to the different waves of COVID, more than 350 activities have been carried out in person.
Those who are unable to leave the residence have enjoyed cultural activities and, on occasion, have been able to visit museums and the theater. We can confirm that these activities improve mood, maintain cognitive activity, and enhance personal relationships.
The Barcelona City Council has continued to trust in the project and during 2023 we will continue with the museum's activities and dance is coming soon.
Apropa Cultura has implemented on its website the possibility of requesting the same activities as museums at a sustainable price in the activities search engine and have started outside of Barcelona, to entities such as the Toy Museum (Figueres), the Railway Museum (Vilanova i la Geltrú), the Museum of Wine Cultures of Catalonia-VINSUEM (Vilafranca del Penedès) and the Cork Museum (Palafrugell).
Featuring
