A couple of snippets of information that I'd like to share today; otherwise I'll forget and it'll be weeks before I remember again!
The first is all about the Big Care Home Conversation. This is an opportunity for you to provide your thoughts on what's great about living in a care home today, what could make it better and how that could be achieved. The information is being gathered on the My Home Life website. Their aim is to use the comments provided by people with dementia, carers, relatives, friends etc to influence our government in the decision-making process of delivering good quality care in residential care/nursing homes. Click the link HERE and follow the instructions. Take some time whilst you're there to read the leaves already on the tree; there are many that talk about providing residents with increased, meaningful social interaction and greater involvement in decision-making within the home, better training for staff and making the most of volunteers. Sounds similar to our aims in Creative Spaces to me!
Whilst you're here, take a moment to read this e-newsletter from Richard Taylor. I heard him talk at the ADI Conference in London earlier in March. He's a straight talker and very passionate about raising awareness of dementia, of sharing information and ideas globally. In this e-newsletter Richard has included several interesting articles. Not that he hasn't in previous e-newsletters, but there were several articles in this one that I found particularly relevant to this project and the work of the Sensory Trust.
There's the research previously undertaken of a group of nuns living in a convent in Minnesota; many living into their 90s and even 100s+ (I'm just off to find a local convent); an award-winning poetry project used to facilitate the creativity of people with dementia (that sounds familiar) and finally a piece about poor design principles that have negative impacts on neighbourhoods, isolating older people in their communities and reducing opportunities for social interaction (a topic very close to the hearts of everyone here at the Sensory Trust).
Wendy
Creative Spaces Project Manager
Exploring dementia, community and outdoor environments. This is where our project team will keep you up-to-date with activities and news.
In a nutshell
Tuesday, 22 May 2012
Monday, 21 May 2012
Cornish hedges and sunshine
We began our first Creative
Spaces community workshop, held at the very friendly Rest and Play Cafe in
Roche, with our Nature Palettes activity(see 'Palettes, Naturally Brilliant!' posted October 2011), making the most of a rare appearance from the sun!
Off we wandered, along a short walk, collecting leaves of all shapes, sizes and hues of green; petals of blue, pink, yellow and white; a lost feather or two and anything else lying on the ground that we found interesting. We were even presented with Camelias by a gentleman who was pruning them in his garden. Participants made colourful 'palettes', evocative of Cornish hedgerows and country walks. Naval Pennyworts, Ivy-leaved Toadflax, Forget-Me-Nots, Hairy Bittercress, Primroses, Red Campion, Herb Robert, Laurel leaves, to name a few, all adorned the palettes in colourful displays.
Back inside and on to our next activity - bird food hangers. This is based on the winter bird food garlands, an activity we did last year, showing how you can make outdoor decorations from natural materials that also benefit the wildlife in your garden. This time, we put a spring 'twist' on it.
Cut some thin garden wire to whatever length you like (it will eventually be hung from a branch rather than draped over it) and thread pieces of fruit onto it, ensuring that the bottom has been looped around first to prevent anything falling off. Occasionally thread on garden flowers; dandelions are great for this as their stems are large enough and hollow to allow the garden wire to pass through the flower head without breaking it apart. Every few centimetres wrap the wire around a thin twig to provide a 'feeding perch' for the birds; in this instance we used Box, cut into about 15cms lengths. With it's small dark green leaves it provided a lovely contrast to the fruit and flowers. Hawthorn twigs would also make great perches at this time of year, their small, white flowers would add decoration to the 'hanger'. Make the top of the wire into a hook shape and hang in the garden. Eh Voila!
So much time was spent chatting with participants about aspects of dementia and enhancing people's daily lives through creative support that we actually ran out of time to do our other activities, so we packed everyone off home with an Activity Pack and enough materials for them to make their own Nature Scrapbook in their own time. But our activities are as much about encouraging conversation as they are about promoting creativity. We often learn more about someone else whilst we are joined in some creative outdoor activity, walking side by side, sharing stories and memories, than just sitting side by side in chairs indoors. The conversations at our workshops are as important as doing the activity; it helps put people at ease, helps reduce their feelings of isolation and frustration. Everyone had an enjoyable afternoon and before they left, the participants said they had learnt so much and felt much better about supporting and caring for someone with dementia; thankfully, that's what we aimed to achieve!
On a different note, we've sadly said cheerio to Ellie, my partner-in-crime (aka Creative Spaces Project Officer) who's been with us for about 13 months, covering maternity leave. She was a real asset to the project and her love of all things creative and glittery meant that her activities always made a sparkling mess and, more importantly, were thoroughly enjoyed every time by the participants! She's now working with and mentoring young people with mental health issues and we wish her all the best.
Wendy
Project Manager
Off we wandered, along a short walk, collecting leaves of all shapes, sizes and hues of green; petals of blue, pink, yellow and white; a lost feather or two and anything else lying on the ground that we found interesting. We were even presented with Camelias by a gentleman who was pruning them in his garden. Participants made colourful 'palettes', evocative of Cornish hedgerows and country walks. Naval Pennyworts, Ivy-leaved Toadflax, Forget-Me-Nots, Hairy Bittercress, Primroses, Red Campion, Herb Robert, Laurel leaves, to name a few, all adorned the palettes in colourful displays.
 |
| Activities aid communication and put people at ease |
 |
| One of our participants & her Nature Palette |
Cut some thin garden wire to whatever length you like (it will eventually be hung from a branch rather than draped over it) and thread pieces of fruit onto it, ensuring that the bottom has been looped around first to prevent anything falling off. Occasionally thread on garden flowers; dandelions are great for this as their stems are large enough and hollow to allow the garden wire to pass through the flower head without breaking it apart. Every few centimetres wrap the wire around a thin twig to provide a 'feeding perch' for the birds; in this instance we used Box, cut into about 15cms lengths. With it's small dark green leaves it provided a lovely contrast to the fruit and flowers. Hawthorn twigs would also make great perches at this time of year, their small, white flowers would add decoration to the 'hanger'. Make the top of the wire into a hook shape and hang in the garden. Eh Voila!
 |
| Added flowers make the 'hanger' more decorative |
 |
| Bird food hangers & garlands help reflect the time of year |
On a different note, we've sadly said cheerio to Ellie, my partner-in-crime (aka Creative Spaces Project Officer) who's been with us for about 13 months, covering maternity leave. She was a real asset to the project and her love of all things creative and glittery meant that her activities always made a sparkling mess and, more importantly, were thoroughly enjoyed every time by the participants! She's now working with and mentoring young people with mental health issues and we wish her all the best.
Wendy
Project Manager
Tuesday, 8 May 2012
Planting memories
Our 'decorated bulb pots' activity is proving very popular at the moment. We recently ran this activity with 2 memory cafes; Truro and St. Austell.
Cafe members were given a small plastic plant pot each, or between two if they wanted to work in pairs. The pots were sprayed with a light colour beforehand (around autumn/winter we use gold and silver), using car paint. People then painted a memory, associated with being outdoors, on to their pot. These memories can be of anything outdoor-related; not necessarily linked to a garden. The aim is to use the outdoors to stimulate conversation and a connection, or re-connection, between people and between people and places. For example, a carer once painted her pot with the memory of her winter wedding which brought back wonderful memories of the snow and the sound of bells, whilst a member of the St. Ives Memory Cafe recently represented a time she was on the river in a boat with her father which sparked a conversation about her father and family.
Images and textures are also used alongside paint to represent people and places. If people are not confident to paint they often begin by sticking images on the pots.......more often than not, this leads to filling in the gaps with painted images or decorative "sparkly bits".
Once the pots were decorated and had been left to dry for a while, the bulbs were then planted and the memory written onto a 'sensory flag' and placed in the pot. The text helps to maintain a connection between the individual and their memory until the bulb begins to grow, at which point it takes over that role and becomes a link between someone, their memories and outdoors. It may even be used to encourage someone outdoors if it is eventually planted out in the garden.
People have so much fun doing this activity; even those who begin the session with an anxious "But I can't paint!". After some reassurance that we're not looking for the next Van Gogh, that nothing is being judged and that the pots they are creating are theirs to take home it's not long before there's a buzz around the table and conversation flows along the lines of "Anyone got any brown?" and "Ooh, I like yours! that's a great bird you've painted!"
Even I brought home a gift from the Truro Memory Cafe. One gentleman heard that the group would be doing an outdoor-related activity and had brought in a bag of outdoor items he'd made from broken pallets. His skill in woodworking was very obvious as he showed off the various items which included a small soil sifter. When I asked him if I could have the instructions he proudly handed it to me and said "Have this one my dear". I was delighted with my gift and have already used it at home to sift my compost ready for seed planting.
Cafe members were given a small plastic plant pot each, or between two if they wanted to work in pairs. The pots were sprayed with a light colour beforehand (around autumn/winter we use gold and silver), using car paint. People then painted a memory, associated with being outdoors, on to their pot. These memories can be of anything outdoor-related; not necessarily linked to a garden. The aim is to use the outdoors to stimulate conversation and a connection, or re-connection, between people and between people and places. For example, a carer once painted her pot with the memory of her winter wedding which brought back wonderful memories of the snow and the sound of bells, whilst a member of the St. Ives Memory Cafe recently represented a time she was on the river in a boat with her father which sparked a conversation about her father and family.
Images and textures are also used alongside paint to represent people and places. If people are not confident to paint they often begin by sticking images on the pots.......more often than not, this leads to filling in the gaps with painted images or decorative "sparkly bits".
Once the pots were decorated and had been left to dry for a while, the bulbs were then planted and the memory written onto a 'sensory flag' and placed in the pot. The text helps to maintain a connection between the individual and their memory until the bulb begins to grow, at which point it takes over that role and becomes a link between someone, their memories and outdoors. It may even be used to encourage someone outdoors if it is eventually planted out in the garden.
 |
| photo by Tammy McDermott |
Even I brought home a gift from the Truro Memory Cafe. One gentleman heard that the group would be doing an outdoor-related activity and had brought in a bag of outdoor items he'd made from broken pallets. His skill in woodworking was very obvious as he showed off the various items which included a small soil sifter. When I asked him if I could have the instructions he proudly handed it to me and said "Have this one my dear". I was delighted with my gift and have already used it at home to sift my compost ready for seed planting.
Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Dementia Uncovered
Over the past few weeks we've been working with Karen Hayes; a poet with particular experience in working with people with dementia and creating poems using their own words. Karen's been spending time at Trevarna nursing home, having conversations with the residents about the garden and recording every word. Think of it as the individuals being the authors and Karen their scribe and editor. From all this work she'll create poems that will show us how increased access to outdoor spaces and the community has impacted on them.
Out of this work has arisen an exciting new project in which we're looking for digital media artists, based in Cornwall, to represent a selection of Karen's poems in various formats. Interested? Then check out more information on our website HERE where you can also download the full brief and details on how to apply.
Wendy
Creative Spaces Project Manager
Out of this work has arisen an exciting new project in which we're looking for digital media artists, based in Cornwall, to represent a selection of Karen's poems in various formats. Interested? Then check out more information on our website HERE where you can also download the full brief and details on how to apply.
Wendy
Creative Spaces Project Manager
Monday, 23 April 2012
Dementia and outdoor activities workshops
If you've been interested in any of the activities that we've talked about in our project blog, or you've downloaded some of the dementia-related activity sheets from our website AND you live in Cornwall, you might be interested in the following information:
As part of our aim to support more people with dementia and their carers, we'll be running a series of FREE creative workshops in areas around St. Austell, Falmouth and Camborne. These workshops will offer the opportunity to learn new creative ways of engaging people with dementia with their outdoor environments. We know, through research and our own experiences that this helps to reduce anxiety, stimulate social interaction and improve sleeping patterns. All of which benefits people with dementia, their families and carers. But carers often find it difficult to reach events outside of their local area so we thought we'd bring our activities to communities.
All the venues are accessible and situated on public transport routes.
Dates, venues and times for each are:
25th
April – Mevagissey Activity Centre; 2pm - 5pm
Valley Road, Mevagissey,
Cornwall
PL26 6SA
PL26 6SA
2nd
May – Rest and Play Cafe, Roche; 2pm - 5pm
The Old Church Hall, Fore
Street, Roche, PL26 8EP
9th May – Merlin Centre; 2pm - 5pm
Bradbury House, Hewas
Water, Cornwall. PL26 7JF
23rd
May – The Burrows Centre; 2pm - 5pm
Lamellyn Rd, Par, Cornwall
PL24 2DD
30th May –China Clay Country Park & Heritage Museum; 2pm - 5pm
Wheal Martyn, St Austell, PL26 8XG
21st June – Dracaena Centre; 2pm - 5pm
Dracaena Avenue, Falmouth, TR11 2ES
27th June – All Saints Community Centre, Camborne; 2pm - 5pm
If you'd like to come along to any of these or find out more first, then please contact me on 01726 222900 or email me at wbrewin@sensorytrust.org.uk
Wendy
Creative Spaces Project Manager
Wednesday, 18 April 2012
Time for a little celebration
We've received some wonderful news for the Creative Spaces project - a further 12 months funding from the Big Lottery through their Supporting Change and Impact fund.
It will assist us in evaluating the project, in strengthening the sustainability of the project's outcomes and will help us to take the processes used in the care homes out into the community to support home carers and carers who offer outreach support.
The team are delighted; it means we'll have more to share with you through this blog over the next 16 months; new guidance materials, resources, community workshops, stories, memories and news of all the 'great' and 'positive' that's happening in dementia care both locally, nationally and internationally.........so don't go anywhere.
 |
| evaluating and capturing moments |
Wendy
Project Manager
Thursday, 29 March 2012
We can, we will! - sharing ideas
At the recent ADI conference I went to a breakfast meeting about the ADI's online library website - I Can! I Will! This is an online library of ideas; a place where you can browse other people's initiatives and suggestions about raising awareness of dementia, supporting dementia care and/or helping reduce the stigma associated with it. Contributions are provided by people with dementia, carers, researchers, professionals and volunteers. People add their own ideas too; it's a great opportunity to share and to discover new approaches and methods for improving the lives of people with dementia.
The website needs some awareness-raising of its own, so we're doing our best to help and I've added a link on the right hand side of this page; or you can click on the link above. Whilst your looking at the site why not add your own idea, if you have one; the more we share, the more we broaden the spectrum of people involved in dementia care and raising the quality of life for people with dementia, the greater the support we can provide collectively.
Creative Spaces already has a place on the 'library shelf' but I encourage you to browse the various 'books' and see what other innovative projects/ideas are out there and when you've done that, tell others!
Wendy Brewin
Creative Spaces Project Manager
The website needs some awareness-raising of its own, so we're doing our best to help and I've added a link on the right hand side of this page; or you can click on the link above. Whilst your looking at the site why not add your own idea, if you have one; the more we share, the more we broaden the spectrum of people involved in dementia care and raising the quality of life for people with dementia, the greater the support we can provide collectively.
Creative Spaces already has a place on the 'library shelf' but I encourage you to browse the various 'books' and see what other innovative projects/ideas are out there and when you've done that, tell others!
 |
| Creative activities - one topic among many on the I Can! I Will! website |
Wendy Brewin
Creative Spaces Project Manager
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