We are experiencing a historical moment with an unprecedented challenge of the COVID-19 global pandemic.The outbreak of COVID-19 will have a long-term and profound impact on older adults’ health and well-being.Social isolation and loneliness are likely to be one of the most affected health outcomes.Social isolation and loneliness are major risk factors that have been linked with poor physical and mental health status(Wu,B.Social isolation and loneliness among older adults in the context of COVID-19:a global challenge.glob health res policy 5,27(2020).https://doi.org/10.1186/s41256-020-00154-3) While scientists and researchers scramble to better understand the ways in which the coronavirus affects the body,we have a very clear understanding of the ways in which social isolation and loneliness affect people’s health and especially senior’s. Those who do not feel sufficiently connected to others and are deprived of social contact are more likely to:have weaker immune systems and catch colds,develop dementia,develop cardiovascular disease,live shorter lives(Source: Age UK) Experts indicate Art Therapy(AT)can play a crucial role to prevent mentioned dysfunctions.AT involves the use of creative techniques such as drawing,painting,collage,coloring or sculpting to help people express themselves artistically and examine the psychological and emotional undertones in their art.It helps older adults explore their emotions,improve self-esteem,relieve stress,improve symptoms of anxiety and depression and cope with a physical illness or disability(Source: Psychology Today)Since shared artmaking involves meaningful interpersonal interaction,it fosters sustained involvement,increased motivation and social inclusion(Cohen,2006;McGrath,O'Malley&Hendrix,2011,Moody Phinney,2012) On the other hand,it is a well known fact that people regress physically,mentally,emotionally and socially in older ages According to Eurostat statistics in 2019,20.3% of the EU population was aged 65 years or over.Across the EU Member States,the highest share of the elderly in the total population was observed in partner country Italy(22.8%)followed by Greece(22.0%), and another partner country Portugal(21.8%),In Turkey,elderly population reaches 9.1% of the total,by 7.550.727 people,according to TUIK statistics Due to the recent increase in the elderly population and physical and mental adaptation problems of the elderly.The need for increasing the quality of elderly care services is becoming more and more obvious In the light of the mentioned facts,the project aims to facilitate the application of AT techniques on older adults and their caregivers to ensure their mental well beings especially during the lockdown and social isolation times By carrying out this objective,the project will also contribute to increase quality of elderly care services The project will produce separate intellectual outputs for 2 target groups: Training Course Programme and Materials and M-learning Application will be developed for training of Adult Trainers who work in Elderly Social Services.Trained adult trainers will provide guidance to seniors who reside in Elderly Care Institutions. Activity Book,Video Series and Podcasts will be developed for guiding seniors and their caregivers to make them perform AT Activities on their own. After the completion of Intellectual Outputs,they will be used and exploited in following project activities: LTTA with participation of 30 Adult trainers, Local Workshops to be held in partner countries with participation of totally 60 Seniors,60 caregivers Multiplier Events to be held in partner countries with participation of 160 representatives from Elderly Care Sector,health sector,adult education sector,public authorities,relevant stakeholders. These activities will lead to following results in targeted groups: AT activities will promote senior’s socialization and communication allowing for an alternate means of connecting with others, helping to lessen feelings of loneliness and isolation AT will relieve stress and depression of seniors.Creating art allows for an open expression of feelings,which can help relieve stress,anxiety,confusion The activities will promote self-awareness and self-expression of seniors.Expressing themselves through art can be a powerful,meaningful way to share their lives with others The adult trainers will learn the art therapy method,which is predicted to have an impact on the loneliness and psychological well-being of the elderly Adult trainers engagement will be increased through the use of m- learning, After dissemination and exploitation of the mentioned results,long term benefits will be followings: Seniors will gain resilience to all negative effects of the pandemic like stress,anxiet,social isolation Increasing competency of adult trainers on AT will increase the quality of Elderly Social Services Spreading use and easy accessibility of digital learning tools will enhance the quality of adult education.
In the light of the mentioned facts, the project aimed to facilitate the application of AT techniques on older adults and their caregivers to ensure their mental well being especially during the lockdown and social isolation times. By carrying out this objective,the project also aimed to contribute to the quality of elderly care services in partner countries.
This Project has been developed as a response to the needs of senior people that revealed during Covid 19 Outbreak. The outbreak had a long-term and profound impact on health and well-being of seniors. Social isolation and loneliness have appeared to be major risk factors that have been linked with poor physical and mental health status. Experts indicated Art Therapy (AT) could play a crucial role in preventing mentioned dysfunctions by using of creative techniques such as drawing,painting,collage,coloring to help senior people express themselves, relieve stress, improve symptoms of anxiety and depression.