Page 140 - Homo senescens II: izbrane teme

Eda Birsa in Barbara Kopačin

of Music Therapy for the Older Adults with Depression.« International Jo-
urnal of Geriatric Psychiatry 31 (11): 1188–1198.

The Importance of Arts Education for Older Adults and Challenges
during the Pandemic
In the ageing process, the need for arts education for older adults is important,
as it helps them develop their self-esteem, acquire new competences and to
age actively and healthily. With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the
way of delivering education has adapted to the new situation, which has been
a particular challenge for older adults. In the summer of 2022, we conducted
semi-structured interviews with 34 older adults. The results of the qualitative
research, which aimed to identify the importance of arts education for older
adults and the challenges they faced during the pandemic, showed that par-
ticipation in arts activities and arts education is very important to those in-
volved and has an impact on their overall well-being. The reduction of arts
programmes during the pandemic was perceived differently, which encour-
aged them to find different solutions to maintain arts activities and social con-
tacts. The findings of the research will contribute to the development of arts
education and other creative activities for older adults.
Keywords: older adult education, arts, Third Age University, Covid-19 pandemic

140