Post-Retirement Creativity Promotes Health

We may consider post-retirement creativity a way to stay busy or enjoy life, but it offers other benefits, too, including better health.

Don Gilman, a former yacht broker and charter boat captain, finds natural beauty in the rocks he sees on his hikes which he pairs with copper and turns into works of art. Art was something Gilman put off all his adult life to pursue what he believed to be more lucrative endeavors. Not anymore.

The 67-year-old has immersed himself in his art over the past couple of years, donning a welder’s mask to meld the two mediums to beget figures like owls and flying fish. And he sells his work. “It definitely staves off depression,” he says. “You feel none of that when you are in your art.”

You don’t have to be a Picasso to enjoy arts and crafts. It just takes a bit of motivation to leave your comfort zone and try something you used to love, such as woodworking, or something you may never have tried like sculpture or pottery making.

Getting the creative juices flowing, studies show, can bring relaxation, lessen agitation and stress, reduce symptoms of dementia and promote social interaction. Scientists are studying how participating in art activities may improve memory function and improve self-esteem.

Gilman’s art, he says, has become especially meaningful. “Art gives me a feeling of purpose and ambition and goals to meet,” Gilman says.

This energy has not been lost on caregivers who are harnessing the life-affirming character of artistic expression to engage older adults in meaningful activities.

Mary Beth Flynn, founder of Artfully Aging, is a former caregiver who saw the need to bring engaging activities to older adults. “I had a desire to make a difference in people’s lives and use my art skills to do it.” Her original target market was senior living communities, but the business has branched out and offers supplies and video tutorials to anyone, from those in a nursing home to groups of neighbors who get together and enjoy painting. “People will say it was so relaxing. It is a great way to get to know your fellow residents or neighbors,” Flynn says.

And post-retirement creativity is good for brain function. Studies show that those participating in the arts have a decreased risk of developing mild cognitive impairment, while art therapy is linked to improved cognitive functions in those with mild impairment, according to Hebrew Senior Life, a community affiliated with Harvard Medical School, that offers art therapy and promotes its health benefits.

“Artmaking promotes connection between people and even with parts of yourself,” says Rachel Becker, art therapist at Hebrew Senior Life. “It enhances positive emotion, it’s relaxing, it decreases agitation, and it promotes emotional regulation,” she says on the agency’s website. “It creates feelings of pride and satisfaction when you create something you’re happy with.”

Yvette C. Hammett is a contributing writer at Kiplinger Retirement Report. For more on this and similar money topics, visit Kiplinger.com.

©2024 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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