Arts, culture and learning
THE NEED FOR COGNITIVE AND EMOTIONAL ACTIVITY FOR HEALTHY AGEING
The Health and Social Care Committee report on Healthy Ageing had as its subtitle the terms of reference of their original brief -physical activity in an ageing society. However the Committee soon became convinced of the cognitive and emotional benefits of what is called 'physical activity'. About the same time as the Committee was sitting there were a number of publications and meetings focused on the benefits of activity which was primarily cognitive and emotional, namely participation in the Arts or cultural projects ie creative activities. For example the All Party Parliamentary Group, the APPG on Creative Health organised a meeting in the House of Lords on Digital Health and CreaTech. Then the Lancet published a two page review by Kate Wormsley (1) of the book the Art Cure by Daisy Fancourt citing significant cost benefits from greater investment in the Arts:
"My hope for Art Cure is that it finds its way into the hands of policy makers already sympathetic to the arts, who can use the book’s clear argument to claw back funding for galleries, theatres, concerts, art therapy in medical settings, and the artists who make all of this happen. Fancourt’s corralling of the economic argument for arts-as-medicine is impressive, such as annual savings of over £18 billion in the UK alone from improved wellbeing among working-age adults who engage in the arts."
One approach is identifying the favourite composer or author or type of music of an older person loves particularly someone isolated in their own home or the only person in a care home who had even heard of the focus of their passion, and linking them with other people sharing their passion, digitally if necessary. The W:ISH programme will enable links to the appropriate source of stimulation which will of course often be digital as well as local
As well as people getting actively in the Arts a broader definition of creative activities is also emerging, for example interest in activities such as sewing or knitting or carpentry as well as more formal types of arts and culture
In addition there is growing interest in the benefits of learning, both non-formal learning such as that provided by the U3A and more formal learning such as that leading to a university degree as a means of keeping the brain and mind challenged and active. Library services have a very important part to play
All of these activities will increase wellbeing which is an important end in its own right but which also important for the NHS because it increases a person's motivation to
Every Neighbourhood needs to develop a Creative Activity Programme and the local Library service can play a key part in this. W:ISH is also be indeveloped to find sources of information about creative as well as physical activity. Local Authority further education services have resources for both group and online learning and the U3A branches can paly a key role
W:ISH
People receiving social care are usually of very limited mobility and the specialised physical activity programme is obviously important but so too is the need for the opportunity for activity which provides cognitive and emotional benefits. This is particularly important for people who are isolated. Obviously epeople who are isolated at home need the opportunity that digital communities for people with a particular interest in art or music or some other form of creative activity offer but so too do people in residential accommodation who are not physically isolated but may be socially isolated because no member of staff or other resident has even heard of their particular interest and passion such as Puccini or Monet or Gujurat or Queen of the South Football Club or Embroidery. For this reason a project in Dacorum neighbourhood linked to the National Centre for Creative Health has been developed and this will enable the W:ISH technology to prepare an appropriate creative health opportunity which will have both cognitive and emotional benefits because the person will be a member of a group with like minded interests
Priority has also been given to the development of physical activity opportunities and encouragement for people already receiving social care
1. Wormsley K (2026)
Art on Prescription
Lancet 407;2631-2632
The Health and Social Care Committee report on Healthy Ageing had as its subtitle the terms of reference of their original brief -physical activity in an ageing society. However the Committee soon became convinced of the cognitive and emotional benefits of what is called 'physical activity'. About the same time as the Committee was sitting there were a number of publications and meetings focused on the benefits of activity which was primarily cognitive and emotional, namely participation in the Arts or cultural projects ie creative activities. For example the All Party Parliamentary Group, the APPG on Creative Health organised a meeting in the House of Lords on Digital Health and CreaTech. Then the Lancet published a two page review by Kate Wormsley (1) of the book the Art Cure by Daisy Fancourt citing significant cost benefits from greater investment in the Arts:
"My hope for Art Cure is that it finds its way into the hands of policy makers already sympathetic to the arts, who can use the book’s clear argument to claw back funding for galleries, theatres, concerts, art therapy in medical settings, and the artists who make all of this happen. Fancourt’s corralling of the economic argument for arts-as-medicine is impressive, such as annual savings of over £18 billion in the UK alone from improved wellbeing among working-age adults who engage in the arts."
One approach is identifying the favourite composer or author or type of music of an older person loves particularly someone isolated in their own home or the only person in a care home who had even heard of the focus of their passion, and linking them with other people sharing their passion, digitally if necessary. The W:ISH programme will enable links to the appropriate source of stimulation which will of course often be digital as well as local
As well as people getting actively in the Arts a broader definition of creative activities is also emerging, for example interest in activities such as sewing or knitting or carpentry as well as more formal types of arts and culture
In addition there is growing interest in the benefits of learning, both non-formal learning such as that provided by the U3A and more formal learning such as that leading to a university degree as a means of keeping the brain and mind challenged and active. Library services have a very important part to play
All of these activities will increase wellbeing which is an important end in its own right but which also important for the NHS because it increases a person's motivation to
- take preventive action
- participate as an active partner in the management of their long term condition or conditions
- reduce depression
- reduce the risk and impact of dementia
Every Neighbourhood needs to develop a Creative Activity Programme and the local Library service can play a key part in this. W:ISH is also be indeveloped to find sources of information about creative as well as physical activity. Local Authority further education services have resources for both group and online learning and the U3A branches can paly a key role
W:ISH
People receiving social care are usually of very limited mobility and the specialised physical activity programme is obviously important but so too is the need for the opportunity for activity which provides cognitive and emotional benefits. This is particularly important for people who are isolated. Obviously epeople who are isolated at home need the opportunity that digital communities for people with a particular interest in art or music or some other form of creative activity offer but so too do people in residential accommodation who are not physically isolated but may be socially isolated because no member of staff or other resident has even heard of their particular interest and passion such as Puccini or Monet or Gujurat or Queen of the South Football Club or Embroidery. For this reason a project in Dacorum neighbourhood linked to the National Centre for Creative Health has been developed and this will enable the W:ISH technology to prepare an appropriate creative health opportunity which will have both cognitive and emotional benefits because the person will be a member of a group with like minded interests
Priority has also been given to the development of physical activity opportunities and encouragement for people already receiving social care
1. Wormsley K (2026)
Art on Prescription
Lancet 407;2631-2632