Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 31 January 2024
173. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health for an overview of how his Department incorporates culture and arts into life in hospitals, care homes, assisted living institutions and healthcare settings, and what work has been done to examine the use of art as therapy. [4503/24]
View answerThere is now a strong international evidence base for the benefits of arts and creativity for health and wellbeing, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) recognising the robust impact of the arts and creativity on both mental and physical health. The WHO has also found that the arts facilitate a more holistic approach to complex health problems, giving parity of esteem to mental health and helping to situate health problems in their social and community context. Furthermore, the WHO has also found that cultural and creative interventions can provide multiple health-promoting benefits and in this way can show equivalent or greater cost-effectiveness than possible health interventions.
The Department of Health (Healthy Ireland Programme) and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Creative Ireland Programme), HSE and the Arts Council work together to develop creative programming to deliver national health and wellbeing policies and strategies and a shared commitment to supporting positive health and wellbeing outcomes in community and healthcare settings for the public, health service staff, patients, their families and carers, as well as the development of creativity and the arts more broadly.
Working with the Creative Ireland Programme, the HSE and the Arts Council, a range of initiatives have been funded to date to support the use of creative engagement as a tool for the promotion of health and wellbeing at all stages of life at local level for:
• Older people
• Traveller Communities
• Children with long term health conditions
• End of life and bereavement
• Social Prescribing
In addition, my Department’s funding in this area has included the provision of an Artist in Residence for 7 acute hospitals and an expansion of lunchtime music sessions in public areas in 14 acute hospitals for the benefit of both patients and staff, together with the development of a live music performance initiative for older people living in community and/or residential healthcare facilities in partnership with the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport & Media.
