Creative aging in libraries: the impact of community-based arts programming on older adults' quality of life, social engagement, and sense of mastery
Date
2022
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Creative aging is a small but growing field of scholarship and practice that connects the fields of arts and culture, health promotion, and gerontology. Promoting quality of life for older adults is a global policy priority due to shifting demographic trends that make this a large and increasingly important constituent group (Bowling, 2013 & Haugan, et al., 2020). Governments, healthcare providers, and communitybased organizations are seeking innovative strategies to support aging in place and improve quality of life. Twenty-five adults ages 55+ participated in this study of a Creative Aging in Libraries pilot program across five public libraries in Delaware. Pre-surveys were collected during class one and post-surveys were collected during the final class of the eight-week workshop series. Quantitative and qualitative data on quality of life, social engagement, and sense of mastery were obtained, in addition to socio-demographic characteristics. Quality of life was measured using the Older Persons Quality of Life- Brief (OPQOL-brief) instrument. Standard outcome measures from the OPQOL-brief survey showed no statistically significant effect on participants’ quality of life. However, program-specific questions related to social engagement and sense of mastery, analyzed qualitatively, suggested that participating in the workshops had a positive impact in these two dimensions of quality of life. The findings suggest potential benefits of creative arts programming on participants’ selfreported social engagement and sense of mastery. Future research studies focused on the quality of life impacts of arts engagement on older adults are needed. This includes creating programs of research that are discipline-specific, developing stronger conceptual models and theoretical frameworks, and utilizing standardized measurement tools that are sensitive to the mechanisms of arts engagement. Policy implications of the study include public provision through the Delaware Division of the Arts to support continued research in creative aging, revising recruiting strategies to reach underserved seniors, and development of evaluation models to promote best practices for creative aging programs in both community-based and residential care settings.
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Keywords
Arts engagement, Community-based arts program, Creative aging, Mastery, Quality of life, Social engagement