By Healthcare Facilities Today

It’s no coincidence that we find peaceful nature scenes in waiting rooms where nerves are on edge, according to a blog on the Long-Term Living magazine website by Emily Ronck, an interior designer at Pi Architects.  In the healthcare, artwork has an important role to play by offering momentary escape from a stressful situation. 

In a long-term care community, residents are prone to anxiety and disorientation. Familiar scenes from nature have been shown to have a soothing effect on agitated elders, and potentially minimize dependence on psychotropic intervention, Ronck said

Evidence-based guidelines exist for choosing art for the healthcare setting. Warm, fresh scenes inspire feelings of happiness, which radiate on to the viewer. Regionally familiar flowers and landscapes are ideal to orient the viewer and offer a window to happy memories. 

Not every scene from nature is ideal. It’s important to understand the qualities that make artwork supportive to good outcomes, as well as the risks posed by melancholy scenes or non-representational art, according to the blog.

In senior living, abstract art can do more harm than good, said Dr. Robert Ulrich, a pioneer of EBD research. His studies documented several incidents of patients physically attacking and damaging abstract works of art. Interpretive qualities popular in other settings have proved to be problematic, uncertainty only contributed to patients’ anxiety. 

Read the blog.