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Health and well-being, both individually and for communities, is about being able to flourish and grow. In both arenas, engagement with arts and cultural events and activities have played a strong role, leading to better care, cost savings, and an increased quality of life.
It is well recognised that healthcare costs are escalating in South Australia (and across Australia), and that our healthcare system is under significant strain. In 2017–18, South Australian state and local government expenditure on health was $4.33 billion, equating to $2,500 per person. The personal cost of an unbalanced system on the quality of life for individuals and families is significant, and the cost on the economy is unsustainable. It has been estimated that the cost of mental illness alone in Australia is approximately $180 billion a year ($500 million a day) or 10 per cent of Australian GDP.
The Department for Health and Wellbeing supports the delivery of public health services, formulates health policy, facilitates public and consumer consultation on health issues, and monitors the performance of South Australia’s health system.
Wellbeing SA is responsible for supporting the physical, mental and social wellbeing of all South Australians by delivering a renewed focus and action on prevention.
The intersection of arts and culture, and the various fields that constitute the broad category of ‘health and well-being’ covers everything from supplementing clinical practice, mental and physical health, community health, healthcare environments, and medical training.
As our collective understanding of healing, prevention, and next-generation practices and therapies evolve, it is becoming increasingly clear that arts and culture-based activities offer promise in new and surprising ways. The arts benefit patients, their caregivers, and the systems that provide the care – saving money, reducing pain medication needs and the length of hospital stays, strengthening immune levels, decreasing depression, increasing memory and cognitive function, and improving communication and behavioural skills.
Adelaide’s festivals may encourage a broader range of South Australians to engage in cultural activities throughout the year. This can be regarded as an end in itself, as increased cultural engagement has been linked to better outcomes in areas across individuals’ health, wellbeing, and quality of life. For example, the Australia Council for the Arts found that engagement with the arts is associated with a significant positive increase in life satisfaction, valued at $4,349 per person, per year. The impact of the arts on mental health is also increasingly recognised — participating in artistic and cultural activities, either actively or passively, has been shown to be positively correlated with improvements in psychological mood and emotional state, including lowered anxiety and depression.
