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Found objects for older adults with anxiety



Found objects have been some of my favorite materials to experiment with. Found objects allow for ultimate versatility in application, permanence, and symbolic meaning because they come in any color, size, shape, and material you can find! For this project, I had a variety of objects on hand from collecting bottles of expired pills. I have often questioned the ingredients of these mass produced quantities of pain relieving pills and supplements, wondered what happens when they expire and who is truly profiting from this industry. I collected them with the intention of creating artwork to express a social reality of American culture, that upholds a Westernized medical model of quick fixes, and treating symptoms to avoid feeling pain. These medicines that are marketed to us seem so unnecessary at times and the side effects that can come along with them are harmful instead of helpful. Most of this expired pill collection is anti-inflammatory pain reliever, Ibuprofen. As an active kid and athlete, I would experience muscle soreness and injury. I also experienced common headaches, sore throats, and menstrual cramps, all of which my parents taught me to treat by using Ibuprofen. In reflection, this seems like a harmful habit. Instead of being told to swallow, what at the time was essentially a mystery pill, just to continue playing through a game or even preventatively before running a race, I wish I learned to listen to my body. In many cases pain can also be treated with cold, heat, hydration, sleep, and nutrition. The body needs time to rest, heal, and regenerate and pain can be allowed to subside on its own.


Synthesizing my found object experience with art therapy treatment for older adults with anxiety is an interesting task. Found objects will have a deeply personal symbolic meaning and history for each client, if they are able to provide their own objects for this project. Anxiety affects a lot of people these days. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) tends to develop for people in their adult life, but onset has a broad range and can happen in older adulthood as well. Generalized anxiety tends to be chronic, so regardless of onset, symptoms persist into older adulthood. The tendency with (GAD) is that “older adults tend to worry more about the well-being of family or their own physical health” in comparison to younger people who tend to worry about their age appropriate issues (American Psychiatric Association, 2012, p. 223). Anxiety disorder symptoms often include physical symptoms like panic attacks, restlessness, tensed muscles, and fatigue, so I would suggest a relaxing and low pressure version of found object art for a group of clients that would allow them to tune in to their body awareness. The older adult clients could bring in any collection of small objects related to their own personal health, related to their family history, family members, or any other topic of importance to a group session to create a found object collage. If the client preferred not to bring in personal things, random objects would be provided for them. If the client preferred not to permanently alter their objects or glue them onto a canvas, they may decide to arrange them and photograph them to allow for disassembly afterwards.


I think that this creative, yet repetitive and soothing process of organizing and arranging objects is helping for coping and practicing mindful somatic and breath awareness to calm anxiety. It is important for clients to consider using large enough objects to handle easily according to their eyesight or fine motor skills and for the art therapists to supply objects of various sizes. In my opinion, the organization of small items is pleasing in a perceptual way, and if they are glued in place, the sensory stimulation of running one's hands over textured items is also enjoyable. If I were to facilitate this group I would encourage discussion between group members regarding their choice of objects so they could learn more about each other. I would ask the group members to share their stories related to the objects or their reason for choosing their objects with the group, either during or after the creative activity.





Reference


American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596

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