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When I am old I shall wear purple: a qualitative study of the effect of group poetry sessions on the well-being of older adults

Richard Seymour (School of Psychology, Keele University, Keele, UK)
Michael Murray (School of Psychology, Keele University, Keele, UK)

Working with Older People

ISSN: 1366-3666

Article publication date: 12 December 2016

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Abstract

Purpose

There is increasing evidence that participation in various art forms can be beneficial for health and well-being. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of participating in a poetry reading group on a group of older residents of an assisted living facility.

Design/methodology/approach

Six poetry sessions, each on a different theme, were conducted with a group of volunteer participants. These sessions, those of pre- and post-study focus groups and interviews with the group facilitator and staff contact were audio-recorded. The transcripts of the recordings were then subjected to a thematic analysis.

Findings

Overall the participants were enthused by the opportunity to participate in the project and the benefits were confirmed by the support staff. In addition, reading poetry on particular themes promoted different types of discussion.

Research limitations/implications

The number of participants in this study was small and the study was conducted over a short period of time.

Practical implications

This paper confirms the impact of poetry reading for older people. The challenge is to explore this impact in more detail and over community as well as residential settings.

Originality/value

This paper is the first empirical report on the value of poetry reading for older people.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the support of the staff and residents of Staffordshire Housing in the conduct of this study especially those who participated in the poetry reading group.

Citation

Seymour, R. and Murray, M. (2016), "When I am old I shall wear purple: a qualitative study of the effect of group poetry sessions on the well-being of older adults", Working with Older People, Vol. 20 No. 4, pp. 195-198. https://doi.org/10.1108/WWOP-08-2016-0018

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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