Art Therapy for Anxiety in Your Elderly Loved One

Senior Care in Southampton NY: Art Therapy for Anxiety in Your Elderly Loved One

Anxiety can be crippling for anyone, but it’s especially painful to watch your elderly loved one deal with it. Art therapy can be an option if your loved one has tried other therapies that haven’t worked well.

Art Therapy Can Cover a Lot of Ground

When most people think about art therapy, they think about coloring in coloring books or even painting on paper or canvas. That’s not incorrect, but it doesn’t cover the entire scope of art therapy, either. Art therapy can involve dance classes for your elderly loved one or music lessons. Drawing, acting, or even watching these activities can all be included under the umbrella of art therapy.

How it Works for Your Loved One’s Anxiety

Art therapy can be beneficial for someone with anxiety in a variety of ways, some of which still aren’t fully understood. The main benefit for most people with anxiety is that art gives them another way of describing and explaining what is going on with them internally. Anxiety, and the reasons behind it, can be impossible to describe for most sufferers. Having another outlet allows your loved one to get those feelings out instead of holding them in.

Experiment to Find the Right Combination

Everyone is different, so your elderly loved one isn’t necessarily going to have the same results as one of her friends in the same art therapy group. Your loved one might want to incorporate some group activities as well as activities on her own. Finding that right combination for her can take some trial and error, but it’s worth it for the results that she can achieve.

What You Can Do

The best thing that you can do is to help your loved one determine what works best for her. Experiment with different art activities and, when you find the right combination, make sure that your loved one has what she needs to be able to do the art projects she enjoys most as often as she wants. You might also want to put together a “travel kit” of sorts in your bag for when you have to be in waiting rooms or other locations together and your loved one’s anxiety flares up.

As your loved one starts to experience the benefits of art therapy, she may find that her anxiety starts to fade a bit.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring professional senior care in Southampton, NY, call the caring staff at Artful Home Care today at 631-685-5001.