[About elderly people and the healing effect of poetry]

Poems about aging and old age are published regularly in anthologies and websites. Over 15% of persons of 16 years and older in the Netherlands write poems at some time, including 8% of the elderly. Poetry reading and writing can have a beneficial effect. In many countries bibliotherapy and poetry therapy are part of the therapeutic arsenal of the health care practitioners. There is more and more research into the effects of creative writing on many health indicators at the physiological, emotional and cognitive levels of functioning. In the Dutch speaking countries, too, the possible benefits of poetry deserves the attention of gerontological practitioners and researchers.