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CREATIVE AGEING NOTEBOOK | Issue 4
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Front Row Seats - Musicians in Health
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Image: Musicians in Hospitals at Coffs Harbour Base Hospital / Arts Mid North Coast
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Arts Mid North Coast has been successful in securing an Arts and Cultural Development grant from Coffs Harbour City Council for this important and innovative project developed in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The team of musicians, trained for the Arts Mid North Coast 2020 Musicians in Hospitals project and lead by registered music therapist Bonnie Nilsson, will deliver music sessions via telehealth platforms and modalities (including Zoom) to a range of senior clients of the Mid North Coast Local Health District’s (MNCLHD) Carers Program in the Coffs Harbour LGA.
The sessions will include a range of songs and musical performances interspersed with activities such as music trivia, singalongs, rhythm exercises and story sharing on musical experiences. Up to 10 senior participants will be assisted to join each session by their carers, delivered directly to the participants rooms/homes on their devices (computers, tablets, smart phone, etc).
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Creative Minds - Social Impact Report
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© Robert Kneschke / Adobe Stock
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Creative Minds in the United Kingdom has been delivering engaging art sessions to care settings and other venues for over 7 years. This report provides a review of the social impacts of that work from 2017 to 2019 highlighting the importance of the evaluation of such programs, a key principle of Arts Mid North Coast’s own Creative Ageing Plan.
Creative Minds now delivers programs to up to 1200 older people each month in 151 Residential and Nursing Homes. It uses 40 artists to deliver these programs. As well as some fascinating data the report makes excellent use of case studies to highlight the value of the work.
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Image: Still from "Why Art Matters in Health & Social Care" video by Paintings in Hospitals
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Paintings in Hospitals aims to transform the UK's health by using world-class art to inspire better health and wellbeing for patients, carers and communities. Their website provides a wealth of information about the benefits of paintings and art for health. This includes its series '70 Ways Art Improves Our Health' which highlights how art can speed recovery. The website also features a number of cases studies and a useful summary of their own research plus other industry studies. These are all found in its section, Why Art Matters.
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© Solarisys / Adobe Stock
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Art Activities Can Be a Lifeline for Lonely Seniors
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The International Arts + Mind Lab (IAM Lab) is a multidisciplinary research-to-practice initiative from the Brain Science Institute at Johns Hopkins University that is accelerating the field of neuroaesthetics. They recently published the COVID-19 NeuroArts Field Guide offering weekly easy-to-do art activities and simple explanations about the science behind them.
With the elderly being more vulnerable to COVID-19, restrictions on social visits from loved ones and caregivers puts elders at even greater risk of social isolation and loneliness. These conditions are associated with a host of health issues, such as cardiovascular illness, cognitive decline and depression.
While the pandemic may have cut off seniors from the comforts and joys of their social world, art activities remain easily accessible and can help ease loneliness as well as the negative impact on their health and longevity.
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Image: Lisa Hort / Unique Collaborations
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Treasured Stories, Poetry and Song - Together We Create
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A Port Macquarie based program led by Creative Ageing consultant Lisa Hort, was a recent recipient of Create NSW's Health & Wellbeing Grants Initiative for the project, 'Treasured Stories, Poetry and Song – Together We Create ' .
The project provides for people living with dementia opportunities to access and participate in a cultural project through an online forum delivered weekly over 12 weeks. Participants will engage and respond to photos of artefacts and historical photos from Port Macquarie Museum’s collection. The program will also be joined by international Alzheimer Poet Gary Glazner, who will develop a poem which he recites to the group online every four weeks. Graeme Atkins, a local musician who is living with dementia, will also transform the group’s creative stories to song.
The program invites people living with dementia in the Port Macquarie LGA to participate. Bookings through https://uniquecollaborations.com.au, or email lisa@uniquecollaborations.com.au or phone 0429 838 254.
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