Key findings in arts and older people research

Anna GouldingNewcastle University

New Dynamics of Ageing Programme (2002-2014)

• Active ageing• Autonomy• Later life transitions• Resources for ageing

• Projects using person-environment perspective – placing the ageing person in a social economic and physical context.

Music for Life Project: the role of participation in community music activities in promoting social engagement and well-being in older people

Contemporary visual art and identity construction – wellbeing amongst older people

• 64+ decline• Non-engaged - Men, limiting disability, BME, socially

isolated, lower socio-economic groups• Engaged – cinema group, writers’ group, volunteers’

group• 3 visits, chose final• Weren’t trying to persuade them to like contemporary

art• Baseline, post-visit focus group• Thematic analysis

“It’s a commemorative thing, I don’t think people made it out of hatred.”“I think they were made out of hatred.”

Martin Parr Parrworld (2010)

Findings

• Debates contributing to contemporary society• Cultural capital (knowledge about art) formed

social capital (social relationships). How long did they last?

• Most impact on non-engaged participants – meaningful activity and social stimuation

Deborah GibsonThere are so many elements of ageing that don’t make it into the media. These sorts of things, like the balding pubic area, for example, are missing from the whole story about ageing.Representing Self – Representing Ageing project, funded by the New Dynamics of Ageing programme

Theatre - Ages and Stages

Dementia and Imagination

• Social connectivity, reconnecting, reducing stigma

• Quantitative • Qualitative• Social Return On Investment (economic cost-

benefit analysis)

Conclusions

• Wellbeing, reduce stress, new skills, relationships

• Underlying mechanisms• Move away from disciplinary boundaries• Qualitative, quantitative, cost benefit analysis• New science of ageing – multi-disciplinarity,

user-engagement and knowledge exchange.• Heterogeneity of older population.