Arts on Prescription (AoP) programs — formal referrals from healthcare professionals to structured arts activities — are gaining international attention as nonpharmacologic interventions that support health and well-being. Although AoP is widely regarded as a valuable addition to social prescribing models, its role in improving outcomes for older adults remains largely underexplored.
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A new review published in the Journal of Applied Gerontology seeks to understand the potential health benefits of AoP and determine whether such programs can increase arts participation among older adults.
Supporting health across the lifespan
There is robust evidence to show that arts participation can improve mental health, reduce loneliness and enhance quality of life, particularly among older adults, says study coauthor Ardeshir Hashmi, MD, Section Chief of Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Geriatric Medicine.
“Engagement in the arts has powerful protective effects against cognitive decline, social isolation and functional deterioration – all of which are central to the well-being of older adults,” he adds. “AoP is garnering substantial attention as a potentially low-cost, nonpharmacologic adjunct to traditional care at a time when healthcare systems are facing escalating costs and a rapidly growing geriatric population.”
Study basics
Using PRISMA-ScR methodology, the authors performed a scoping review of peer-reviewed articles and grey literature published between 2010 and 2025. Searches across PubMed, JSTOR, ProQuest databases, EBSCO, and Google Scholar yielded 41 relevant publications focused on AoP and older adults.
Dr. Hashmi emphasizes that his team intentionally included grey literature to capture real-world program evaluations that may not appear in academic journals but still influence policy and practice.
“This approach reflects the evolving and practice-driven nature of AoP research,” he adds.
Key findings
The review found that very few studies explicitly evaluated whether AoP increases arts participation among older adults. Those that did, however, suggest that formal prescription mechanisms can enhance engagement, particularly for individuals who may not otherwise seek out arts activities. Importantly, most previous studies included broad adult age ranges and failed to report outcomes stratified by age – a factor that limits any conclusions specific to the older population, Dr. Hashmi notes.
The reported benefits of AoP participation for older adults primarily center on reduced loneliness and social isolation (established risk factors for geriatric morbidity and mortality) as well as improvements in mood and psychological well-being. AoP was most often prescribed for psychological concerns or risk factors; less commonly, it was used to treat physical complaints.
“Unfortunately, this narrow focus leaves unanswered questions about the potential role of AoP in managing the chronic physical disorders that often plague geriatric patients, including pain and functional impairment,” Dr. Hashmi says.
The authors also note that study designs were often insufficient to support strong causal inference, and pre–post studies rarely included control or comparison groups. Dr. Hashmi highlights the need for standardized outcome measures, echoing broader calls in the arts-and-health field for a core-outcomes set to improve comparability and rigor.
One of the most striking gaps identified was the lack of attention to patients from all backgrounds. Most studies involved participants who faced fewer barriers to care. Dr. Hashmi notes this absence risks perpetuating structural inequities by designing and evaluating AoP programs around populations that already have greater access to cultural resources.
“Without intentional inclusion, AoP may fail to reach those most likely to benefit,” he explains.
Future directions
For clinicians – especially those in primary care, geriatrics, psychiatry and population health – AoP represents a promising but still underexamined intervention, Dr. Hashmi says. Although the existing literature supports the mental health and social benefits of AoP, it remains unclear whether the treatment’s observed benefits are unique to arts engagement or reflect the broader effects of structured social participation, he explains.
The authors recommend several priorities for future research, including studies focused exclusively on older adults and the effect of AoP on physical health outcomes.
“AoP holds great promise as a scalable, nonpharmacologic strategy for supporting the psychological needs of older adults,” Dr. Hashmi says. “But before it can become a meaningful component of geriatric and preventive care, more rigorous and clinically relevant research is urgently needed.”