ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at how different types of creativity in older age can meet the social policy recommendations embodied within the Five Ways to Wellbeing. Though some commentators have suggested this formulation is absurdly reductive, Five Ways to Wellbeing has had considerable success in being accessible to a wide-range of audiences and easy to embed in policy statements and to communicate to community-based organisational teams. Government responded to Elbourne’s report the following year in Empowering Engagement: A Stronger Voice for Older People, which articulated a commitment to develop a UK Advisory Forum on Ageing as part of the updating of the Government’s Ageing Strategy. The concept of wellbeing comprises two main elements: feeling good and functioning well. Feelings of happiness, contentment, enjoyment, curiosity and engagement are characteristic of someone who has a positive experience of their life.
