Legacy Art – Leading seniors to share their life stories

There are many services to improve the physical health of elders in Taiwan, but few are geared to improving mental or spiritual health. Therefore, some companies have begun providing “Legacy Art” services, which use the media of art to assist seniors in telling their life story and life experiences in a structured way. The process has been shown to improve the quality of life and mental health of seniors.

Through one-to-one guidance, seniors discuss their past, present, and future, using memories to recount their life stories through art. The service not only broadens the artistic horizons of seniors but also fosters relationships based on mutual understanding and cooperation. It is hoped that through such services, more people in Taiwan will begin to attach importance to the mental health of seniors, ensuring that each senior has the opportunity to share his or her own life story.

以下為中文對照

藝術新活 引領長者重拾生命故事

在台灣有很多提升長輩生理健康的服務，但是提升長輩心理或是靈性健康的服

務是很少的。所以有業者提供了「傳承藝術」的服務，運用藝術的媒材，然後讓長輩能夠整理他的生命故事跟生命經驗，在這個過程當中他可以在心理健康的部分得到提升。

在一對一的陪伴下，引導長者們對過去、現在、未來分別進行討論，透過記憶中的樣貌或想法，將彼此的生命故事以視覺藝術的方式呈現出來。此服務不僅拓展長者們的藝術視野，也培養了彼此的互助合作關係。期盼在不久的將來，台灣能有更多人開始重視年長者們心靈上的照護，使每一位長者都能夠記錄自己的生命故事。