Tidewater Arts Outreach

Description

The arts cultivate a 'healing environment,’ helping patients address the mental and emotional aspects of recovery.

Here are some of the outcomes of the power of music and the arts in healthcare and congregate care settings:

• Enriches the soul, stimulates the mind and promotes wellness; Reduces anxiety and consciousness of pain
• Creates 'community,’ helping people feel connected, heard and appreciated
• Helps people to be seen as individuals, not as patients, numbers, job descriptions or diseases
• Has the potential to reduce staff turn-over & attract quality staff
• Helps staff connect culturally with patients, families and other staff members from diverse backgrounds
• Helps people leave an artistic legacy and create a lasting expression.

The need for arts in long-term care is great.
Tidewater Arts Outreach has a waiting list of long-term and crisis care locations that want more music and arts in their facilities. There’s also a waiting list of artists wanting to contribute, attesting to not only the great need in our community for more programs, but illustrating the desire of community members to be involved meaningfully, creatively and positively with people who are isolated and who have special needs.