The Effect of Visual Art in a Transitional Care Environment
Principal Investigator:
Dr. Alison Phinney, PhD, UBC School of Nursing
Co-Investigators:
Michael Wilson, Senior Facilities Planning Leader, Fraser Health Authority
Landon Mackenzie, Professor, Emily Carr University of Art and Design
Trainees:
Shelley Canning, PhD student, School of Nursing, UBC
Lillian Hung, PhD student, School of Nursing, UBC
Alison Shields, PhD student, Department of Curriculum Studies, UBC
Funding:
Hampton Research Fund
Summary:
This interdisciplinary study brings together a team of practitioners and researchers in the fields of healthcare facility design, gerontological nursing, and art education. We are using walk-along interviews, focus groups and observation to explore how visual art that has been purposively created for a health care environment can benefit older patients by providing them a sense of meaningful place, while simultaneously understanding the transformative potential for students engaged in the creation of this art. This is a novel study taking an inventive approach to better understand the important role of visual arts in the built environment as a contributor to healing and wellness for older people.
The authors discuss this study in the Globe and Mail
