Creative ageing in aged care

People living in Aged Care are often there by necessity and not choice: when families fear leaving parents alone at home who can no longer carry out self-care tasks, such as bathing, dressing or eating. Not all people entering a nursing home are in a cognitive state compromised by dementia. All residents can find nursing homes to be lacking in mental stimulation. Studies have found some residents to spend up to 17 hours a day confined to a bed/ chair, with less than 10% of their time engaged in creative activities!
People tend to focus deeply during creative activities, become more present, and forget about aches, pains, and other things that would otherwise cause agitation.
The Creative Ageing theory states that being creative not only decreases agitation, it enhances general well being and quality of life through meaningful occupation and social engagement.

Who provides Creative Care in Aged Care?
One of the care strategies in residential aged care is to implement recreational activities to promote better quality of life and social engagement. Participating in these activities on an everyday basis can be utilized as part of a non-pharmacological treatment strategy to alleviate BPSD, as well as satisfy the basic human need for meaningful involvement in activities. These activities are carried out by Activity coordinators.

An Australian Study, by IP Demecs in 2015, found that many activity coordinators found that dementia itself can be a barrier to the implementation of activities. Only a few activity coordinators stated that creative activities should be used to overcome these barriers. Typically activity coordinators did not use creative activities for managing BPSD; they had other strategies such as one-to-one activity, redirection and alternative therapies such as massage to involve people with dementia in activities and improve apathy and withdrawn behaviour.

Creative ageing. Ilona Pappne Demecs.pdf
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The use of creative activities in dementia in residential aged care facilities in Australia: A cross-sectional descriptive study .
Ilona Pappne Demecs .