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  • Essay / Importance of Art in Our Lives: Influencing Healthcare

    The tradition of integrating healthcare and art has a long and deep history; its origins go far back to when the first hospitals grew out of church-run inns for pilgrims and other travelers. In order to understand the development and importance of art in health care, we must understand the vast change that has occurred in health care settings over the decades, because as health care settings have changed over the years, the art they contain has also evolved. Taking a quote from Florence Nightingale, a prolific nurse who raised standards of nursing during the Crimean War in 1854, she spoke about the importance of aesthetic pleasure and distraction: Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay I saw in fevers… the most acute suffering produced by the patient, the inability to see out the window and the knots in the wood being the only view. I will never forget the delight of feverish patients in front of a bouquet of brightly colored flowers. People say that the effect occurs only on the mind. This is not the case; the effect is also on the body. By the 6th century BC, it is evident that the ancient Greeks saw a connection between the arts and healing; a hospital in Epidaurus stood next to a statue of Asclepius, the god of healing. They also had temples dedicated to physical and spiritual healing dating back to 200 BC, decorated with marble reliefs and statues. People dedicated images of the body parts that had caused them problems - they served as a memento of what had been healed, as a "thank you" to the healing god. The word hospital derives from the Latin word hospital, which means a house intended for the reception and entertainment of pilgrims, travelers and strangers - without any connection with illness. Although the ancient Greeks may not have understood the healing power of art - the principle of art was there to enlighten and transcend the viewer or give hope to those in need help in times of illness. As we move forward into the medieval period, we see a clearer connection between art and the moral principles of the institution. It was at this time that the origins of the modern hospital were born. Paradoxically, in certain respects, Christianity had a rather negative effect on medicine: anatomy was denounced, human dissection was prohibited because the human body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, the The appearance of miracles advanced superstition and illnesses were considered a punishment for sin. The Church gradually monopolized the predominantly monastic hospital system, which for the time provided effective service to the sick and elderly, but contributed little to the progress of medical science. Medieval hospitals contained incredible artistic embellishments; which generally reflected the religious nature of the institution and offered images clearly placing the illness in a context of belief, the interior reflected the wealth of the patron or founder. This can be seen throughout the Renaissance, but perhaps in a more ornate manner. Renaissance hospitals had highly valued works of art in places of healing – works that reflected their place in history. The hospitals of Renaissance Italy were “the concrete embodiment of physical and spiritual healing.” In the 15th century we see kings and rulers shifting their charitable work from building cathedrals to building hospitalsin order to carry out good works on this earth. and to help them move on to the next one. St Wulstan's Hospital in Worcester is an interesting example; where there once was a room where patients were brought to spend their final days of illness, this room contained 10 panels including scenes from Saint Erasmus, and on the opposite wall was "Saint Michael weighing souls to decide their fate , in heaven or in hell. .[One of the most discussed and historic works of hospital art is William Hogarth's "Christ in the Hospital." Hogarth painted this large mural for free, but he did so in order to promote himself in as an artist. The painting is a visual account of the art required at that time for hospitals, to show what St. Barts represented as a healthcare facility. It was painted in 1736 depicting an episode from the Gospel of Saint John. The painting depicts Jesus Christ caring for a leper lying on the ground, surrounded by other sick people. Hogarth himself said of his work in St. Barts: "my dramatic object and aim is to make the spectator cry." I think it's a great example of what art in healthcare used to be and what it once stood for. In a way, it conveys the same principles of hope and recovery speaking to the mind and spirit of patients. Dr. Hugh Baron puts it perfectly in his essay on the history of art in hospitals: "Patients were exposed to images of the deity so that they could pray for their recovery, pray for the patrons of the hospital or pray for immortality. » An interesting 1877 British Medical Journal article written by Joseph Moore, chairman of the management committee of the Seamen's Hospital, made a public appeal for "help in decorating the rooms of the establishment with pictures in order to dissipate the depressing monotony of the dead. walls…images should be simple, colorful prints.” With the proliferation of Victorian public welfare, these elaborate art forms in hospitals had largely disappeared, however, it was after 1910 that little or no art was placed in hospitals in Europe due to changes in architectural fashion. The architectural craze was illustrated by August Perrier "decoration always hides a construction error" and by his student Le Corbusier - "a house is a machine for living in, it is the wall which is the work of art" and this attitude was reflected in healthcare institutions in the early 20th century. An interesting point that Dr. Hugh Baron highlights as an element of the rejection of the art of architecture at this time may have been due to the "then fashionable dogma that Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals and Greek temples and their structure were all white" because they appeared in school textbooks as black and white photographs, this myth of the 1920s "persisted until the 1960s and for many decades hospitals, wards and patients had to endure environments in which color and decoration were taboo.” In the early years of the NHS, “they paid little attention, within their walls, to the aesthetic dimensions of existence. These were largely establishments intended for the treatment of diseases. It was at this time that we really began to separate the two disciples of art and healing. Art in health care settings was "often seen as an optional extra, to be added when resources permitted, and in hospitals, as a comfort rather than an integral part of the healing and care process." Rules and regulations have been imposed for better hygiene, but the buildings arebecome dull and lifeless “patients lay in bed with nothing to look at but a white wall”. The asylums were placed in the countryside, away from urban areas, but also for a nice landscape - the same was not thought of in the tuberculosis services. During the 1960s and 1970s, less neat care environments became the norm, accompanied perhaps by an unwritten but nonetheless strong assumption that decoration was frivolous and indulgent and in any case, the funds required for it “real” objective were washed away. “The vast majority of buildings which made up the NHS in its early years paid little attention within their walls to the aesthetic dimensions of existence. These were largely places for treating illnesses. » We can see in this a clear reflection of what was happening in society and what was happening in hospitals, since ancient Greek times; a deep connection between art and healing, in the 15th century, when art in hospitals became more about patronage and money, the early 20th century reflected minimalist sensibilities that lasted for more than 50 years. The Benefits and Importance of Art in Health Care Art should not be considered one of those activities like physiotherapy which are ancillary to medicine; nor as an alternative to medicine. It is about a common sensibility and a common vision of what life is and how it should be lived. Art has the power to reconcile us with the painful issues that life presents, its truths, and the suffering and sacrifice that it involves for so many. The idea that art can have constructive health care benefits is not a new concept and has been recognized. by artists and health professionals. Although the benefits may not have been known in Greek times, “our ancestors lived in a state of unity between the physical and the spiritual, the visible and the invisible.” However, there is a constant conflict between human norms on the one hand and institutional effectiveness on the other; art can sometimes be overlooked. The potential of the arts in healthcare is vast since everyone needs healthcare at some point in their lives. People's quality of life is the primary consideration, but it is very difficult to scientifically measure the claims made about the impact of the arts and visual environment on patient recovery. I will present key case studies that have proven healthcare art to have benefits for patients and staff. It is not easy to heal in a soulless concrete box, with characterless windows, inhospitable corridors and purely functional rooms. The mind needs healing as well as the body. Over the past twenty years, the contribution of the arts to health, quality of life... and to people working in health care settings has been increasingly recognized internationally. Since the 1980s, arts programs have opened in hundreds of hospitals, clinics, and community centers around the world, and government support for this work has increased. The oldest and most recognized study on the influence of environment and aesthetics in health care "A view through a window can influence recovery after surgery" was conducted by Dr. Roger Ulrich in 1984, in which Ulrich showed us that a view of nature from your hospital bed can significantly speed up postoperative recovery, Ulrich describes that "most natural views apparently arouse positive feelings, reduce fear instressed subjects, maintain interest and can block or reduce stressful thoughts, they could also promote recovery from anxiety or stress by analyzing nurses' notes and the patient's time spent in hospital, comparing them with that of the patient in a room with a white wall and patients in a room with a window. In another study on environmental effects, Ulrich points out that "despite the major stress caused by illness and traumatic experiences in the hospital, relatively little attention has been given to creating an environment that calms patients, strengthens their coping resources or otherwise addresses psychological and social problems. The most comprehensive and large-scale study of the social impact of arts initiatives in Britain was undertaken between September 1995 and March 1997. The study concluded that "participation in the arts is an effective route to personal growth » and that the arts have a positive impact on people's feelings, they also contribute “to social cohesion by developing networks and understanding”. Since 1997, few studies have been conducted in this area of ​​research, however, numerous articles have discussed the importance of art, including one by Anne Scott, titled The Relationship Between the Arts and Medicine , written in 2000. Where she describes the three main contributions that art can make to the “whole understanding of the person”, that is, understanding the individual; She explains how art can stimulate and share common experiences with viewers and a way to open conversation between viewers. “Medicine and art have a common goal; to complete what nature cannot complete, to achieve an ideal and to heal creation.” In 2006, the New Zealand Ministry of Health reported that the arts clearly have a contribution to make and offer major opportunities to improve the health, wellbeing and experience of patients, service users and the community. staff. “Good design must have a central consideration and will ensure the hospital provides a high quality environment that promotes a positive healing experience.” A more recent study conducted in 2016 titled “How Do Patients Actually Experience and Use Art in Hospitals?” The importance of interaction; A user-oriented experimental case study explores the contribution of visual art in hospitals to healing outcomes. Led by four Danish scientists. An experiment was conducted for two weeks, the first week the walls were stripped and painted white, and the following week two pieces of art were hung. It has been proven that “works of art influence the practice and the atmosphere of sociability”. And that the artwork showed a positive effect on the social environment in the living room by encouraging patients to engage in dialogue. It was more than just healing, the work of art was used as a common frame of reference and created an atmosphere of conviviality, of ease. , and kinship. Patients understood that art had the potential to positively distract them from uncomfortable illness situations by directly addressing their memories of themselves as individual, social and cultural beings...a positive distraction, in practice , speech and atmosphere. These effects are particularly important in patients who experience deprivation of identity and power during hospitalization. Although studies have been conducted on art in healthcare to prove the social and holistic benefits of including art in healthcare settings, it is understandable why clients and service users -’.