America’s older adult population is growing at an unprecedented rate, and set to double by 2050. But with this shift comes an alarming rise in social isolation and loneliness, affecting nearly half of older adults and putting a third at serious risk. The health consequences of social isolation and loneliness are severe, as both have been linked to heart disease, stroke, dementia and mental health issues—posing risks comparable to smoking, obesity and physical inactivity.
Isolation doesn’t just feel bad—it alters brain function. Lack of social interaction can accelerate cognitive decline, increase stress, and fuel conditions like depression and anxiety. Worse, systemic barriers—such as racial or gender discrimination—often intensify social isolation, creating a vicious cycle of loneliness and declining health.
But there’s hope. Science shows that strong social ties—whether through friendships, community programs, or group activities—offer essential support for older adults’ health and well-being. Decades of research highlight the health benefits of regular engagement with arts and culture, including reducing loneliness and fostering social connectedness among older adults.
While efforts to address the social determinants of health are ongoing, social isolation remains largely overlooked despite its predictive value for other social needs and health outcomes. Social prescribing, wherein physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals refer people to a range of local, non-clinical services such as art classes, community gardening or other activities with other people, yields improvements in mental health and well-being, and reduces depression and anxiety. National social prescribing programs have shown significant reductions in loneliness and positive return on investment, with early evaluations of programs in the United States indicating positive outcomes.
Both the creation and observation of the arts positively impact cognition and memory and lower the risk of heart disease in older adults. The arts are emerging as a powerful tool to address social isolation and loneliness by fostering connection and mental well-being. By integrating arts engagement into healthcare, we can reimagine how society tackles loneliness and cognitive decline in older adults.
Art Pharmacy
Inspired by research on the effects of arts participation on improving health, Art Pharmacy was founded to address the dual mental health and loneliness epidemics in the United States. Having long witnessed the healing power of the arts, Art Pharmacy’s founding team saw that healthcare and the arts were often ill-equipped to collaborate. Art Pharmacy emerged as a technology-enabled, human-powered solution, bridging this gap through personalized, arts-based social prescribing. By partnering with healthcare providers, third-party payers, and community-based organizations, it integrates social prescribing into whole-person care, fostering resilience and social connection.
‘Art Pharmacy partners with healthcare providers and health plans to support older adults struggling with loneliness and mental health challenges.’
Art Pharmacy is leveraging creative engagement to build a future where older adults stay connected, engaged, and healthier for longer. We recognize that the arts are not just entertainment but a vital component of health for older adults. Arts-based social prescribing is a proven approach for promoting holistic health among older adults by facilitating social connections, self-reflection, and stress management, which can reduce the risk and severity of mental and physical health conditions.
Outcomes
Art Pharmacy partners with healthcare providers and health plans to support older adults struggling with loneliness and mental health challenges. Physicians and other care team members refer patients to Art Pharmacy. Care Navigators then connect patients with arts and cultural activities via Art Pharmacy’s social prescribing recommendation platform, which tailors arts-based engagements to individual preferences and health goals—removing barriers like transportation and companion needs.
Art Pharmacy structures care plans for patients based on their clinical, social and cultural needs. Typically, members are eligible for 12 “doses” of arts and culture over a 12-month care plan, with check-ins and assessments from their care navigator between each arts engagement.
Examples of activities to which members are connected may include a dance class to improve mobility, a jazz concert for social connection, or a pottery class for stress reduction and relaxed breathing. Art Pharmacy communicates back to the referring healthcare provider with participation and impact data to ensure the art prescription is integrated into the patient's broader care.
Results from implementation reveal positive outcomes.
- High Participation: 80% of older adult patients referred from advanced primary care completed intake and became Art Pharmacy members.
- Decreased Loneliness: Participants from Dual-Eligible Medicare/Medicaid health plans saw improvements in their loneliness scores after just a single dose of arts and culture, with 72% of participants demonstrating improvement as measured by the UCLA-3 Loneliness Scale.
- Mental Health Gains: Three out of four older adult participants reported better well-being, as measured by the WHO-5 Well-Being index. Those who stayed engaged longer saw even greater benefits—comparable to psychotherapy outcomes.
- Sustained Engagement: The program saw a 73% engagement rate. Participants rated their experiences a 9.4 out of 10 on average.
- Personalized Approach Matters: Mental health improvements remained consistent across different artistic activities, highlighting the power of customized, interest-driven engagement.
These outcomes underscore the promise of arts-based social prescribing in healthcare, proving that creative engagement is more than enrichment—it is essential for mental and social well-being. With strong results, Art Pharmacy offers a scalable model for integrating social prescribing into patient care.
Chris Appleton, MBA, is CEO, and Lucy Rabinowitz Bailey, MPH, is head of research at Art Pharmacy in Atlanta, GA.
Photo credit: Shutterstock/aslysun
