Abstract:

People the world over continuously report increases in anxiety regarding fears about contracting SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO)Trusted Source, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, some 18 months ago (11 March 2020) found that the global COVID-19 epidemics became so widespread that they constituted a pandemic, claiming millions of lives, changing the ways in which each of us relates to and navigates the world in these troubled times. Local and international restrictions curbed the spread of COVID-19, by stay at home orders, travel bans, restrictions on meeting people from other households, closure of nonessential stores, including gyms, cinemas, museums, art galleries, and places of worship. Notably, Picasso (1881–1973) declares “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” This paper explores how personal responses to excruciating circumstances in the loss of loved ones, including self-isolation, increase in levels of anxiety, depression and mental health problems may be managed through unleashing their creative spirit within for health and wellbeing. Dr Rogers, and co-researcher Tilley underpin their investigation with the growing expertise and experiences of medical professionals, healthcare workers and practitioners in the arts, particularly in the UK where The All Party Parliamentary Group for Health and Wellbeing (APPGAHW, 2014) promotes the arts for health and wellbeing for the Nation, chaired by Lord Howarth of Newport. The findings of the Inquiry Report (2015-2017), Creative Health: The Arts for Health and Wellbeing – 2nd Edition, presents two years of research, evidence-gathering and discussions with patients, health and social care professionals, artists and arts administrators, academics, people in local government, ministers, other policy-makers and parliamentarians from both Houses of Parliament. The research paper includes the appropriate application of The Pedagogical Variation Model (PVM, Rogers 2013) giving insight to change-making from the perspective of change-makers and those involved in the change themselves. Legislation in the UK, The Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014, for social prescribing (SP) now includes “Art-on-Prescription” (AoP) to alleviate those suffering from intense anxiety, depression, suicidal tendencies and mental health disorders. Stephen Clift, founding Chair of the Royal Society for Public Health, RSPH, Special Interest Group for Arts, Health and Wellbeing, and a founding trustee of Arts Enterprise with a Social Purpose (AESOP) continues to pioneer the arts for health and wellbeing relating to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Brandling and House (2007) contend that SP creates a formal means of enabling primary care services to refer patients with social, emotional or practical needs to a variety of holistic, local non-Clinical services. SP therefore aims to provide referred patients with holistic packages of support tailored to individual needs, where General Practitioners, GPs believe that a non-medical approach may achieve better outcomes. Global and Local Decision-Makers should prioritize a new awareness of existing problems that this global crisis has brought about. Many might, now, be looking forward to the “new normal” in their post-pandemic lives having had the opportunities of world-wide vaccination programmes. As Dr. Tedros stresses “The world must learn lasting lessons from this pandemic.”

Keywords:

Creativity, art-on-prescription, health, well-being, holistic therapies, mental health, Pedagogical Variation Model.