Fostering creative well-being: Theoretical models of collaborative partnerships in developing arts-health practices for older adults

Population aging has become a major global issue, increasing the need for research that examines aging-related societal challenges, such as care services that provide for personal growth and development of older adults in later life. There is also a need for identifying ways of maintaining the dynamic social connections of older adults – which they tend to value – and assisting them with remaining active members of society, instead of becoming passive recipients of public care. There is, however, a prevalent “deficit” view of aging in modern societies that overshadows older adults’ contributions and reduces life opportunities they encounter as they age, which in turn increases their social isolation. Taking these issues into consideration, it is vital to provide better services and support systems for older adults in many rapidly aging populations worldwide. In relation to this, both the arts and health sectors have become more proactive in taking advantage of different forms of arts-health practices, because of the positive impact of the arts not only on healthy and creative aging but also on social well-being of older adults, as evidenced by existing research on the links between the arts and health. Despite this, there are relatively few studies of arts-health practices for older adults in the public and private sectors, which results in challenges for practitioners and facilitators of such practices due to the lack of theoretical and practical frameworks for guiding their work, particularly when interdisciplinary collaborations are required. To address this knowledge gap and the lack of practical guidance, the primary aim of this thesis is to expand our understanding of the diverse challenges that aging societies increasingly face, and to explore creative ways in which arts-health practices can mitigate such challenges through collaborative efforts. As such, this thesis attempts to explore the value of synergetic collaborative actions in arts-health practices and to provide general structural support for designing and operating arts-health practices for older adults, thus enabling better implementation and delivery of such practices within a more inclusive and interactive environment through genuine partnerships between all the stakeholders involved. The thesis research is divided into two parts: Part 1) consisting of interview studies with older adults, and ractitioners and facilitators involved in a range of arts-health practices in Finland and South Korea, and Part 2) consisting of theoretical frameworks based on the results of the studies conducted in Part 1. Through these two parts, the thesis research identifies the vital elements necessary for the development of arts-health practices for older adults, with the aim of promoting long-term holistic care services in different communities and across cultures based on collaborative partnership among various stakeholders involved. The findings of this thesis highlight the importance of older adults’ active involvement as valuable partners and co-decision-makers in arts-health practices, and the need for developing practical frameworks for supporting the late-life creativity of aging people by helping them to redefine their own creative competences in older age through such practices. To facilitate these, the thesis proposes two theoretical models for arts-health practices for older adults that center on the significance of collaborative endeavors toward the better delivery of such practices. It is hoped that this can ultimately lead to fostering interdisciplinary partnerships between different stakeholders, and enable them to not only create active and open communication based on mutual trust but also to develop a creative mindset around common goals to achieve, while taking responsibility for different roles in a power-balanced environment, which would eventually lead to a co-production environment leveraging on co-creativity.