Eco-art Activities for Older Adults: Reducing Stress and Reframing Aging

Art coupled with nature provides numerous therapeutic benefits to reduce stress and reframe aging for older adults. This article outlines five eco-art activities to use in the context of individual or family counseling. Stress and the aging process is addressed, as well as the numerous therapeutic benefits of nature for the aging family. Nature combined with art increases self-expression, social engagement, and sensory stimulation. Nature-based activities decrease stress and anxiety and recreate purpose and meaning using the metaphors that exist in nature. The proposed activities focus on themes found in nature to reduce stress and reframe aging for individuals and families.