Art methodologies and social innovation: Experiences from art intervention in elderly care

Abstract

In this article, we highlight how arts-based practices in a residential care home can contribute to social innovation. We describe how arts-based methods have the potential to contribute to a more sustainable society where people living with dementia become equal citizens. The article is based on an eight years long lasting situated art intervention in a residential care home in Northern Norway from 2015 to 2022. We present our findings along four perspectives: the resident's perspective, the artist's perspective, the health worker's perspective and the manager's perspective. We find that co-creation in elderly care is challenging because aesthetic meetings need to be facilitated across departments, subjects, roles and routines. The following issues seem to be specifically challenging when it comes to co-creative work: 1) those who become involved need to step out of their comfort zone 2) health care and creative care are not valued as equally important in everyday live at the care home 3) knowledge about poetic-sensual meeting places is not internalized by the staff and 4) there is little room to develop a common understanding and language about aesthetic practices. These findings indicate that art methodologies need more attention within social innovation in elderly care.