Fostering the Art of Well-Being: An Alternative Medicine

Evaluation of a community arts installation event in support of public health

“…The aggregated data were therefore considered worthy of analysis. These observations from the organisers and volunteers, and the excellent attendance and participation numbers (11,265 visitors; 50 participating tent installations), demonstrate that this innovative project succeeded in its aim to bring diverse people together to reflect on the themes of Home, Histories and Hope, in support of new immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers. Not surprisingly, the majority of people who provided journal entries were interested generally in the different art projects (Table 3), and it is encouraging for the individual artists and organisers of the event that more than one-third of them expressed enjoyment of the arts displayed.…”

“…7,10 Underlying this arts and health approach is the hypothesis that how from within ourselves we look outwards at the world around us influences our perception of factors in the external environment that impinge on us and how we respond to them, and that this approach can be modified. 11,12 This hypothesis is supported by a recent study which reported that 'creativity…”

“…22 Conversely, hopelessness, despair, loneliness and anguish are well known to be associated with disease and mortality, and it is recognised that holistic healthcare must treat the mind and spirit as well as the body. 11,23 These findings suggest next steps that can be undertaken in further support of the City of Sanctuary movement to help build a culture of hospitality for new immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers and to strengthen social cohesion. They could build on the principal finding of this study, the four non-material areas of hope that participants seek (Table 2), which if addressed would help to reduce aculturalisation (a sense of loss, aloneness and of feeling apart).…”

The NHS Constitution values are not always clearly expressed on Trust websites in England

“…This describes the value which can be put on the 'way of being' of an organization in terms of engaging the social and economic capital in that organization, and in the business world it is linked to financial performance. 11 It is built from the shared values held by individuals, which are key to the well-being of both individuals, 12 and the organization as a whole. The importance of human values to well-being and the building of social and cultural capital has been documented, 12 and a wider understanding of how we undertake our valuing, and the fundamental role of empathy, rapport and intuition in this, would enhance the well-being of both individuals and organizations.…”

“…11 It is built from the shared values held by individuals, which are key to the well-being of both individuals, 12 and the organization as a whole. The importance of human values to well-being and the building of social and cultural capital has been documented, 12 and a wider understanding of how we undertake our valuing, and the fundamental role of empathy, rapport and intuition in this, would enhance the well-being of both individuals and organizations. 12,13 The Living our Local Values project, 5 which supported Trusts in implementing the values, recognized this, emphasizing the need for values to resonate emotionally with staff if they are to lead to the desired behaviour.…”