A Program Evaluation of the Seniors Who Paint Program
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Abstract
Aging research suggests that community-based art programs may serve as more practical interventions to improve the quality of life and cognition in older adults than more traditional or pharmacological interventions. Despite promising results, most studies investigating the impact of participatory arts on older adults have yet to be followed up. This has led to a call for more research concerning the implementation of participatory arts programs, as well as more standardized outcome measures to test for possible therapeutic effects. We conducted a program evaluation of the Seniors Who Paint program to assess its ability to function as such an intervention. Participants were 9 older adults attending Seniors Who Paint painting classes at the Village Cooperative of Verona Hills in Kansas City, MO. Cognitive assessments, psychosocial wellbeing measures, and qualitative interviews were used to test for therapeutic effects. While the Covid-19 pandemic interrupted procedures, the results indicated that the Seniors Who Paint program was a positive experience for the participants. Additionally, positive feedback from participants concerning their role in the research, along with the ease of implementation, suggests this research could provide a possible framework for future art and aging studies.
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Introduction -- Review of the literature -- Methodology -- Results -- Discussion -- Appendix
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M.A. (Master of Arts)