Doctors test if museum trips can prevent pandemic-related stress
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused stress in many different ways. Apart from striving to preserve one’s physical health, other factors like work, school, money, and mental health are also affected. In fact, healthcare experts in Brussels might have a simple treatment to prevent stress caused by the pandemic: a museum trip.
During a three-month trial, doctors from Burgmann hospital will conduct a study that involves in-patient patient residents and other individuals facing stress. Those deemed qualified will be allowed to visit five public museums and galleries for free. The art institutions include a center for contemporary art, a fashion museum, and a sewer museum, which is slightly bizarre compared to the rest.
Delphine Houba, the country’s city councilor for culture and tourism, was inspired by a similar program in Quebec where doctors prescribed patients to visit up to 50 museums. She said, ‘The Covid crisis, accentuating stress, burnout and other pathologies, has confirmed the relevance of such a project.’
‘I am convinced of the capacity for solidarity from all Belgian museums towards vulnerable audiences to provide them with free access and support,’ Houba explained and said that she hopes other private museums would lend their services in the future.
‘But the decision is theirs based on the results of our pilot experience,’ she added. ‘It has been shown that art can be beneficial for health, both mental and physical.’
The results of Brussels’ pilot test will be published in 2022 to determine if going on museum trips is a way to alleviate symptoms of burnout and other forms of psychiatric distress.
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Source: we the pvblic
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