Marshall Seeks Participants In Art And Aging Study

Researchers at Marshall University are seeking participants 55 and older to examine the effect of visual art activities on the well-being of aging adults.

There are reports of the health benefits that come from participating in art activities and this study aims to examine that.

Sandra Reed, a professor of art at Marshall University, will oversee Marshall art alumni as they teach the art workshops. 

“We hope we will gather hard data that demonstrates what so many individuals state. That they feel energized by having something creative in their hands that they’re focusing on, and not thinking about everything else in their life that they might, you know, frequently worry about,” Reed said.

The team will host two informational sessions for interested individuals to learn more about this health study. The first will be held at 9:30 a.m. on June 14 at the Barboursville Senior Center and the second at 10 a.m. on June 15 at the Ceredo Senior Wellness Center.

The first art workshop series will begin in July with two additional series to follow. 

In addition to Reed, physician faculty from the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine Cynthia Pinson, M.D., Martha Sommers, M.D., Masa Toyama, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology at Marshall University and principal investigator on the study and Asma Nayyar, M.D., are collaborating on this study.

For more information about these schedules, visit the project’s website. To participate, e-mail ArtAndAging@marshall.edu or call Toyama (Principal Investigator) at 304-696-2777 or Reed (Professor of Art) at 304-696-5671.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Charleston Area Medical Center and Marshall Health.