Arts in health
The project, which has been selected in the Conecta call of the Social Observatory of the “la Caixa” Foundation, part of a previous pilot study[A1] that UOC researchers carried out last year, also in collaboration with the Teatre Lliure and the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, in the who have already studied the effects of therapeutic interventions based on the performing arts. It is about new tools, called “health arts”, that use art formssuch as theater, dance or the plastic arts, as a means to obtain emotional and cognitive benefits.
The new project will seek to establish a specific theoretical framework that explains the relationship established between the enjoyment of the moment and an improvement in the emotional state, and how this translates to mental health.
“We want to check if this well-being that the arts produce in us has a domino effect that impacts the real lives of patients,” he emphasizes. Calabriawho is its principal investigator. And he emphasizes that, unlike other experiences, this project “was born with a clear research perspective, because there are many interventions that are carried out with arts to impact the health whose effectiveness has not been studied“.
“We are very excited to continue the collaboration with the UOC and the Hospital de Sant Pau with this project that links arts and health; the pilot test has already helped us to have some first positive results and to see the evolution of the participants,” he explains. Alicia Gorinaresponsible for the Educational Program of the Teatre Lliure. Violeta Sugranyestheater project coordinator, adds: “We want to continue working to obtain a method applicable in other social contexts and have more arguments that can support medical prescription in the arts health system in the future.”
Parkinson’s, the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disease
The project focuses on patients with Parkinson’s because it is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disease in societythe incidence of which is expected to increase considerably in the next twenty years. People who suffer from it, In addition to movement disorders, they have cognitive difficultiesespecially in attention and working memory, and they tend to suffer from apathy, anxiety and even depression. Besides, still surrounded by a lot of stigmawhich leads to a reduction in social relationships.
With the collaboration of the Movement Disorder Unit of the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, they will recruit the participants. The Teatre Lliure, for its part, will be in charge of designing activities together with UOC researchers, as well as selecting the works that the participants will see and carrying out the workshops.
According to Carmen Garcianeuropsychologist at the Neurology Service of the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, “the therapeutic approach to Parkinson’s disease It is complex and requires the combination of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments. We are very happy to participate in this project that offers the opportunity to contribute to the knowledge of the effectiveness of non-pharmacological therapeutic options with the necessary scientific rigor. The project unites scenographic activities and has the therapeutic force of being developed in a group context of people with the same disease. This is very beneficial psychologically.”
In total, 50 volunteers will participatewhich will be divided into two groups: 25 will participate in the theater activities and the other 25 will be limited to doing cognitive stimulation, attention and memory activities from home with materials that will be provided to them. In both groups, the emotional and cognitive state of the participants will be evaluated before starting the intervention and at the end of it.
In a second phase, they will repeat the theater intervention, but at a distancewith the aim of breaking barriers with people who live far from cultural facilities. “We will try to validate whether remote interventions have the same benefits as face-to-face interventions. Here the key element will be the role of the group factor,” he considers. Calabria.
The emotional and cognitive alterations of neurodegenerative diseases negatively affect the quality of life of the affected people and their environment, with a progressive worsening throughout the disease. For this reason, it is necessary investigate new interventions that are specific for these alterations in combination with pharmacological therapy. The Arts in health can be an innovative methodology to respond to this need to improve well-being.
This project promotes the sustainable development goals (SDG) of the United Nations 3health and well-being; 5gender equality; 10reduction of inequalities, and 16, peace, justice and solid institutions.