It seems that there is slow but gathering momentum for recognition on the role of arts and creativity in health and wellbeing in Australia. This issue of the Creative Ageing Notebook looks at some of the recent initiatives adding strength to our arguments over the recent years of the importance of the arts in our region, in particular for Creative Ageing.

The Australia Council has launched a new weekly series in it's online newsletter, Wellbeing Weekly. First off the rank is a video from the Black Dog Institute, Arts on Prescription. ‘Arts on Prescription’ is a model in which experienced artists work with people to help them explore their own creativity while also meeting their health and wellness needs. This video provides a brief explanation of arts on prescription, the success of arts on prescription programs overseas, and the work of the Black Dog Institute in piloting the idea in Australia. It summarises an excellent program run by the Arts Gallery of NSW.

Amidst Australia’s worsening mental health crisis, Space 22 looks at the growing call for art as a social prescription to support mental health care. The six part series follows seven strangers, each with their own lived experience of mental ill health as they take part in an ambitious experiment to test if the simple act of participating in art can help heal invisible wounds. Supported by psychotherapist Noula Diamantopoulos, the participants are joined by three well-known Australian artists: Provocative mixed media artist, Abdul Abdulla, Archibald winner, Wendy Sharpe, and performing legend Eddie Perfect. If you have not caught the first few episodes of Space 22 on ABC TV you can catch it all on ABC iview.

For some time, Mater Christi residents in Toormina attending Music and Movement classes have also been involved in supporting PhD research by Blake Toohey of the Coffs Harbour campus of Southern Cross University into the benefits of dance and music for older people. Blake’s study, “More Than Just Movement: Embodied Dimensions of Dance for Older Adults in Residential Aged Care” aims to investigate how residents engage with and experience the Music and Movement class, to identify the positive benefits and how they are attained, and to explore how those positive benefits may translate into other areas of everyday aged care, enhancing the quality of life experience of aged care residents. Arts Mid North Coast looks forward to following the progress of this study.

Just a reminder for those in our region that the CASP small grants of up to $2000 are currently open until June 30. For 2022 the focus is on Creative Ageing / Intergenerational Arts Projects. Applicants need to show their project involves participatory arts activities that actively involve older people or intergenerational programs that bring together older and younger people. Programs need to be delivered from August 2022 to end of January 2023.