In this modern world we live in, more often than not, we look for the ‘quick fix’ for many if not all of our problems. If we find ourselves feeling sluggish or unwell we pop off for a physical and are usually told to get more exercise and take a multivitamin pill. Feelings of unhappiness or depression are nowadays usually treated by a visit to the local doctor who will, often with distressing ease, prescribe a short course of antidepressants to ‘help you get back on your feet’. And for many, this method can work well – at least in the short term.
But for many caregivers and health practitioners, such ‘band-aid’ solutions aren’t seen as the definitive answer. Understanding that in many cases, finding relief from distress, both physical and mental, requires a far more specialized plan of action, they are taking a very different approach. When modern medicine can’t provide the answers, many healthcare advocates are looking further afield in their search for viable alternatives. A possible alternative targeting the root of the problem, and providing coping strategies to deal with both the short and long-term needs of the individual.
Not surprisingly, a large number of these solutions have presented themselves within the world of the arts.
The growing relationship between the arts and healthcare could almost be considered a win-win. One of the key aims behind the fusion of these two seemingly disparate fields has been to improve the quality of current healthcare by linking art and wellbeing in ways that are enriching the lives of all individuals affected by ill health, be they patients, visitors or staff.
The skill lays in the intent to humanise healthcare and humanise the environments where it is practiced. Time and time again studies have shown that a positive environment is key to a sense of personal happiness and health. And in buildings such as hospitals and mental health facilities, patients and their families need more than just their physical needs catered to.
One of the key exponents of this idea in the UK has been the National Network For Arts In Health, an educational body that works towards ‘providing a range of benefits and services for individuals and organizations interested in the practical applications of arts in healthcare’. Back in 1999, the Health Development Agency (HDA), which was then known as the Health Education Authority, conducted groundbreaking research with the primary aim of creating a definitive community-arts-in-health database. This initiative resulted in both the subsequent publication of Art for Health: A Review of Good Practice in Community-Based Arts Projects and Interventions which Impact on Health and Well-being and the creation of an online database which highlighted key elements gleaned from the incredible wealth of research provided.
As a result, the landscape of the UK health service existing at the time was irrevocably changed. Taking into account the work that the National Network for Arts In Health was doing, the Health Development Agency then granted the network continued funding for it to ‘maintain what it saw as an important piece of work and to expand it to include a larger range of arts projects in both community and healthcare settings.’
Projects supported by the National Network have been many and varied. Ranging from the Loud Mouth Educational Theatre Company which was formed in 1994 to cater to the needs of British youth by creating theatre programs that examined health issues such as puberty, contraception, relationships, young parenting, prostitution and drug abuse specifically from their point of view. Other projects included the provision of pamphlets of inspirational poetry for patients to read while waiting to see their doctor, ones that they were encouraged to take home with them with the aim of providing an enduring rather than an ephemeral connection to the world of verse.
Another far reaching initiative has been the promotion of and provision of access to the interactive computer game entitled The Adventures of Captain Chemo. This program was inspired by the comic book creation of the late Ben De Garis, a British cancer patient who died in 1999. The game endeavours to help cancer patients, their relatives and friends form a clearer understanding of the disease and its treatment. The process is simple – players answer questions about cancer so as to win points and manoeuvre the captain’s ‘chemo craft’ to shoot and destroy tumors. Computer games are without doubt a forum that young cancer sufferers can both understand and easily relate to.
Other positive effects from this interaction between healthcare and the arts sectors, come, not surprisingly, from the corporate arena. Without belabouring the obvious, illness is a billion-dollar industry, with pharmaceutical companies generating untold wealth from developing products to help all manner of ailments. Some large corporations, however, are attempting to give something back to the community through sponsoring artistic endeavours aimed at supporting and promoting greater public understanding of the harsh realities of mental illness.
A key supporter of this philosophy in the UK is pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Limited, who fund the Art Works In Mental Health programme, a project aimed at promoting the art of everyone affected by mental ill health, including those who care for those afflicted. The initiative was created as a forum to not only showcase the work of the individuals affected by the realities of mental illness, but also to increase the understanding of the key roles that art and creative expression can have in improving the lives of those dealing with mental illness on a day to day basis.
According to the programme’s mission statement, art and creativity is expected to help people affected by mental ill health find an outlet for their emotions. It is also expected that their art works will provide others with a clearer picture of what life is like for someone affected by mental illness. With both an on going online exhibition as well as travelling exhibitions across the UK, the aim is to demystifying mental illness and help break down many of the stigmas attached to the illness.
It goes without saying that the benefits of art and artistic expression within the healthcare landscape will have far reaching consequences. We benefit from these changes when we walk into a hospital foyer and are greeted by an uplifting piece of art on the wall or have our anxieties soothed by classical music playing in a dentist’s waiting room. Already, the positive effects created have been enormous, in allowing many sufferers contribute directly and personally to their healthcare environments. The end result – apart from the pure artistic experience – is that of ownership of both the creative experience and its place in the community.
To find out more about the National Network For Arts In Health CLICK HERE
To find out more about the Health Development Agency CLICK HERE
To read ‘Art for Health: A Review of Good Practice in Community-Based Arts Projects and Interventions which Impact on Health and Well-being’ CLICK HERE.
To find out more about the Loud Mouth Educational Theatre Company CLICK HERE.
To check out the Captain Chemo website CLICK HERE.
To find out more about Pfizer’s Art Works In Mental Health programme CLICK HERE.
