Executive Summary 2019

4 Executive Summary Although surrounded by other people, poor health and cognitive impairment may limit opportunities for older people living in residential care to communicate and interact with the other residents they live with and they may experience social isolation and loneliness as a result. Finding ways to help older residents develop and maintain social relationships between peers, with care home staff, and with the wider community is key to addressing such loneliness and social isolation and enhancing the lives of older people in care home settings. Participatory arts and cultural activities contribute to the overall sense of well-being of older people. Research exploring the health and well-being impacts of participatory arts and cultural experiences has also found that there are relational benefits of participation, with improvements to personal and immediate relationships and also societal or broader relationships. However, there is little research that has specifically studied the impact of such arts participation in residential care settings. Therefore the aim of the research was to explore the impact of participatory arts and cultural activities in building relationships for older people in care home settings, and there were three main research objectives: 1. To explore if/how participatory arts activities may enhance social relationships between older people, older people and care home staff, and care homes and the wider community. 2. To investigate the factors that enable or impede the sustainability of participatory arts activities in developing and maintaining relationships. 3. To examine the potential interaction between participatory arts activities and relationships in reducing loneliness and social isolation, and the promotion of well-being. Background