From little acorns..........

There has been a lot happening in the project since my last update and I apologise for the lack of entries here.  Time has flown by and much of it has been spent focusing on establishing working relationships with other dementia-related organisations (more on that soon) and starting some dementia-friendly activities to support people in their own communities. 

So let me introduce you to the Clays walking group; here they are.......

.......enjoying various walks, tea stops and each other's company

It all began with Stephen and his wife Teresa who came along to one of our coffee mornings (a social activity we used to raise awareness of the project in the china clay area around St. Austell).  His frustration with his diagnosis was obvious.  Having been a farm worker all his life he suddenly found himself with no purpose and no bike license. His social life and mode of transport had gone but his determination to do as much as possible whilst he still could was very present.  So we organised a walk, just a short one and local to the area and then we followed that with another one and another and slowly others contacted us and joined in.

There are now 10 regulars in the group, including partners and other community members.  They laugh together, accommodate each others walking paces, share home-made 'goodies' and are disappointed if they have to miss a walk.  Stephen has even presented at a recent conference - his first time ever! (again, more on that soon).

You know the old saying "from little acorns big oaks grow"? combine that with a saying by JF Kennedy: "We must use time as a tool, not as a crutch" and I believe that's a good foundation for building sustainability into our project. We take our time to plant the 'acorns'; whether that's establishing working relationships, developing new activities or getting to know our beneficiaries. It's about appreciating and taking time to do all those things so that we create a solid foundation for sustainable outcomes.  We learn more about our beneficiaries and we develop activities that provide the right support and creativity for them.  

The Clays walking group provides us with wonderful images and anecdotes that we can use to encourage other communities and organisations to work with us.  Soon we'll be starting activities in Bodmin and Liskeard and later in the year - Wadebridge.  

There are exciting times ahead, if our 'acorns' are anything to go by!

p.s. don't go too far, there'll be more coming up shortly about our working partnerships and a 'first' for a conference in Cornwall.




Wendy
Creative Spaces Project Manager

A breath of fresh air

I had such a brilliant afternoon last Thursday; out on a walk with a family from the St. Dennis area. Organised as part of the project, we spent an hour wandering through the landscape around the village.  If you've only ever seen images of the china clay country around St. Austell you'd be forgiven for thinking the landscape we walked through was stark, full of grey clay tips and little vegetation.  Far from it!  We had amazing views from above the village, across valleys and fields, out towards the sea; wandered through small country lanes with hedgerows full of grasses and wildflowers and dappled in sunlight and strolled across lush green fields.

The family were initially a little unsure as to what to expect; what would the walk entail? where would we go? who was this strange chatty woman that was leading the group?!  But once I had introduced the children to “Spot Bob”, a game which kept them entertained looking for the tiny pink petals of the Herb Robert flower in the hedgerows and banks, then everyone relaxed into the walk. Occasionally you'd hear "There's Bob!" and "Here's another Bob!".  There were other things to discover on the walk too; stony, dry stream beds, animal water troughs and ripe blackberries also stimulated interest and conversation.

An hour and a half later a group of smiling happy adults and children were enjoying a well earned drink and a piece of cake.

Dany Brookes, Dementia Support Worker for Alzheimer’s Society in Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly was one of the walkers; she described the day:

“It was a lovely opportunity to get out and explore the local community with others.  Chatting about what we saw en route prompted my own childhood memories of similar walks with my grandmother and resurfaced previously dormant snippets of knowledge to share with the rest of the group.  We managed the walk easily considering our varied walking abilities and ages and hope other people will join future walks.  Dementia can impact on a person’s ability to recall memories and knowledge however our natural environment stimulates our senses and can provide an array of memory and conversational prompts. ”

We're looking forward to organising our next walk in the area now; perhaps in the autumn when the scenery will change again.  If you have dementia, or are affected by it and live in the china clay area around St. Austell (or in St. Austell itself) then please do come along and join us for an hour's stroll.

Wendy 

Creative Spaces Project Manager

Come and meet Creative Spaces

We're just about to embark on  a series of 'drop-in' style sessions in and around St. Austell.  It's important for us to be visible in our local communities so that people living with dementia at home, and their carers, become aware of the project and how it can support them to maintain socially active and healthy lives.

It's not always possible for carers and people with dementia to come to our community events; issues around transport and timing can often hinder opportunities to gather information on creative support.  So we're doing what we can to provide more of those opportunities.  You will find us on various days and times in St. Austell library, the Rest 'n' Play Cafe in Roche and the ClayTAWC building in St. Dennis, all throughout June.

If you live in and around St. Austell and are interested in coming along to find out more, you'll find all the information you need on the 'Events' page of this blog. You can always call the office if you have questions, contact details are also on the 'Events' page.

Let us support you to live a more socially active and healthier life.

Wendy

Creative Spaces Project Manager

Nature in Verse

Direct contact with natural things and being outdoors provides, in my opinion, the best way to connect with nature as well as providing natural, sensory spaces for social interaction.  On occasion, however, that's not always possible.  To help in those instances we provide alternative creative ways in which people with dementia and their carers can access nature through less direct contact.  Not as emotionally connecting but strong enough to allow people to socially connect through conversation.

One example is our nature poetry game in which we use the throw of the dice to determine the choice of a nature-based word.  We have been using this approach in various Memory Cafes in Cornwall. In small groups, people take turns throwing the dice until each group has between 5 - 8 words.  Each group is tasked with creating one verse for the whole poem.  They create 5 or 6 lines for their verse based around the selected words.

It is these nature-based words stimulating people to recollect their memories of nature that help make the connections; not just between people and outdoor places but between individuals, because nature-themed memories help create shared experiences and/or interests.  Memories need not be solely associated with learning about someone's past.  They are an introduction to help  us better understand the life of an individual in the present and from there it's just a step to a conversation about future hopes and dreams.......but that's another post on another day!

Back to connecting with nature through verse.   If you've read previous posts you'll have seen the two poems created by the Bude and St. Austell Memory Cafes (see previous post 'Poetry for the Senses' 4th April 2014).  Truro Memory Cafe members recently joined this list of budding bards.  Their poem is below along with the poems created by Bude and St. Austell Memory Cafes.....just to save you from going back to a previous post!

To see how these poems have been created follow this LINK to our short film of the activity on YouTube.

Creative Spaces in the Community

What else would you do on a wet and windy Saturday but launch your dementia project?

That was us, a week ago, in an empty shop unit in St. Austell........and what a great day we had!

Joined by representatives from Age UK Cornwall and IOS, Memory Matters South West and St. Austell Memory Cafe, we had tables with information, guidance leaflets showcasing what each organisation could offer.  There were free cup cakes  and of course our lovely nature-based activities that people could join in - providing opportunity for conversation.  Our friend Jo, from Hedgerow and Herb, came along with a lovely selection of herb plants to smell, touch and taste and there was music and films going on in the background to help create a friendly atmosphere.

Despite the horrible weather, around 40 people dropped in that day. Most of them were unpaid carers, family members of people diagnosed with dementia, but we also had neighbours looking for information to help their friend and carer living next door and young people dropping in because a grandparent had dementia.  So, in addition to the project information and dementia support advice that was provided, the event turned out to be an interesting reflection of how much dementia affects our communities.

To find out more about our free activity downloads and dementia-related films you can go to our Creative Spaces page on our website HERE.

We'll be doing more localised events and workshops in and around the St. Austell area; helping people living with dementia in more rural areas through our Creative Spaces in the Community Project and then later in the year we'll be in and around Liskeard. As the project progresses it will extend into other areas of Cornwall over the next 4 years.

B-looming Marvellous!

Just look at what we were up to last Friday - you can't keep us away from all these dementia/memory loss events!  This one was organised by Age UK Cornwall and was well attended throughout the day.  We set up an area where we could provide activities and have an opportunity to chat with people about what kind of support/social interaction they had in their communities.

Other conversations were based around reminiscing about places, people, work etc.  If someone was at ease, chatting with us and being creative, their carer would take the opportunity to spend a little 'me' time wandering around, getting coffee, having a massage themselves; we're always glad we can help them to have a little time to themselves.

If you're wondering what the activities were, people could either have a go at weaving natural materials through our nature loom (as you can see from the corner photos, there were daffodils, ivy, reeds, grasses - all great for weaving) or they could create pages for the beginnings of their own nature scrapbook using a mixture of natural materials and craft tools such as stamps (top and bottom middle photos). Either activity provided the opportunity to chat; initially based around the activity but often, as most conversations do, leading off on a tangent to other aspects of life.



Wendy
CSiC Project Manager

Weaving Tales

How about watching a quick video for a change?

The following video (don't worry, it's only a minute long) gives a glimpse of our Weaving Tales activity being used by NHS staff, dementia care professionals and volunteers at a recent Peninsular Community Health one day conference.

We often talk about our creative activities working on various levels.  There are times when an activity can be used simply to fill time; on other levels they work as tools for increasing social interaction and as a means for helping people to express themselves in a safe and relaxing environment. On this occasion we were demonstrating how they work as communication tools; allowing people the opportunity to listen, speak and share an experience.  In dementia care it's important to understand as much about the individual(s) you're caring for as possible. Weaving Tales can take 5, 10, 30 minutes...however long you have....because completing it is not the aim in this situation; the quality of the moment shared is. 

In a nutshell

With the doors finally closed on the Creative Spaces project, reflecting on what has been an amazing 4 years is a natural part of the process.

Articles summarising the last year of the project will be forthcoming on our website (an evaluation report for Years 1 – 3 is already on there).  In the meantime it's been useful to ‘download’ project highlights from my own little grey cells.  As you would expect, there’s a lot to tease out and too much to put in this blog, but here are some snippets:

Intergenerational activities
The young people involved had little trouble accepting older people with dementia.  The skills they gained in dementia awareness and communication helped, but it was through the intergenerational activities that they really connected with each other. 


The stories
These were such a powerful element of the project.  For example, there were accounts about family life, friends, growing up, outdoor experiences , jobs and hobbies.  All inspired by  the outdoors and/or nature-based activities. Stories were shared by a master bookbinder, a couple who had lived all around the world and a Cornish Bard, to name but a few from the many people involved. People who discovered an affinity through shared experiences and better understanding and helped to enrich each others lives.   


Supporting carers 
Home carers living in rural areas in particular need improved support to access local groups and organisations.   Our community workshops and events both highlighted and helped address this issue.  We met people who were desperate to find social support and the confidence to try activities that enriched their lives and removed feelings of isolation and depression.  For many, the fortnightly trip to their memory cafe was the only social occasion they had.

So in a nutshell, get creative with dementia care; organise intergenerational activities, make better use of outdoor environments, use natural materials to create meaningful activities and keep costs down, stimulate social interaction for those diagnosed with dementia and their carers.  Trust me, you'll be on to a winner.

   

Wendy

Project Manager

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Creative Carers

It's amazing how creative you can be with materials found around the house and out in the garden, such as twigs, wool, ribbon, leaves and flowers.  Here's a photographic montage of our recent dementia community events that took place at Heartlands in Pool, Launceston Town Hall and the Eden Project.  Hopefully the images will reflect the amazing time that we all had; all down to the wonderful organisations who participated, the support of the venues and the attendance of carers, families, friends, care professionals, people living with dementia and the general public.

         

cress-growing kits - free
to take away

Free Creative Spaces resource
bags for home carers

     

Colourful tables help to attract people to activities

our Nature Palette activity - brimming
with spring flowers, herbs and leaves

         

 

Sue McDermott (Memory Cafe
Network Manager) chats with an
interested couple

People enjoying the
Weaving Tales activity

Trainee nurses engage with
the Nature Mobiles activity

               

Singing for the Brain sessions stimulate
your motor neurons and have your endorphins leaping for joy!

Our Sensory Trees activity table at Eden
looks good enough to eat!

A jumbled picture in our quiz sits behind the Reflections
South West stand..........yes, they're real cakes!

Quizzers post their answers
and hope to win a prize

 

One lovely Weaving Tales ornament made by a gentleman
with a lot of patience!

The Hedgerow and Herbs table full and
evocative...just like an English hedge

Commissioned by Arts for Health, Victoria Bampfield-
Hammond encourages participants to create an amazing,
enormous birds nest.....

..including me

Picture books from the library offer
reminiscence stimulation

We connect so easily through 'making' together

Conversations cross generations

Whatever our age or ability, we are a social species that
loves coming together and interacting in meaningful ways

Organisations who participated included:
Age UK
The Alzheimer's Society
Arts for Health Cornwall
Memory Matters South West
Reflections South West
Memory Cafes Network
Launceston Memory Cafe
Dementia Friendly Communities
Cornwall Care
Time for Change
WRVS
Carers Rights

Their advice and information was invaluable to the families and carers who attended and helped raise awareness among the members of public who dropped in.

Thank you to everyone for making these events worthwhile and a whole lot of fun!

Wendy

Creative Spaces Project Manager

Dementia carers events start at Heartlands

The first of our 3 large dementia community events was held yesterday, at Heartlands; a mining heritage visitor attraction at Pool, near Redruth in Cornwall.

I couldn't believe the number of people who battled the strong winds, horizontal rain and thick mist to pop in and spend time with us.  Some stayed all day; participating in all the activities and eventually leaving armed with free resource bags bulging with activity kits and the results of their creative efforts!

And it wasn't just the memory cafe members who came.  Other home carers came with their partners, some with their families whilst members of the public popped in to find out what the cause of all the noise drifting out from the big hall and stayed to find out more.  I think Flicker, our community donkey, also had something to do with attracting people through the door....he's a bit of a show-stopper!

Flicker - our "Meeter and Greeter"

A quick peek inside a resource bag

The main hall buzzed with conversation and laughter

This lovely couple came in the morning........stayed all day!

With a mixture of nature-based activities and information tables, films, exercise and singing sessions there was plenty for people to be involved with. Not to mention the free teas and amazing cakes that everyone enjoyed!

We're now looking forward to meeting people at Launceston tomorrow and Eden Project on Saturday and having similarly wonderful days.  If you're coming don't forget to bring the sunshine!

Wendy

Creative Spaces Project Manager

Carers are people too

As you know, we are running 3 dementia community events in June this year (see our 'Events' page on this blog) around Cornwall.  These events are aimed at supporting home carers of people living with dementia in the community, their families, friends and other support workers; not to mention a welcome to anyone in the community passing by!

We are trying to gather some prizes for these events; prizes that will give a home carer some 'time out'; the chance to go shopping with a friend, or to enjoy a cream tea in a beautiful Cornish setting, or perhaps sit and enjoy a blockbuster movie at the cinema or relax and be pampered with a facial massage.  Activities many of us enjoy regularly.

A lady focuses on her husband's needs and
enjoyment at a creative session

Dementia carers (all carers in fact) often have to give up work, spend all their time looking after someone else's needs.  They can lose their individuality, feel isolated and lonely and their health often suffers.  You can offer some support, even just a little, by giving them a gift that says "We recognise all that you do and here's something that we hope will allow you to relax and enjoy time out for an afternoon or a few hours".

We've had some fabulous prize offers already from St. Mellion Health Spa, Radio Cornwall, Hall for Cornwall and Trethorne Golf Club but we need a few more.  If you are a business or an organisation based in Cornwall (or know anyone who is!) and can help a dementia carer by donating a prize for our Creative Spaces events then please contact me on 01726 222900

Thank you so much.



Wendy
Creative Spaces Project Manager

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.

photo by Tammy McDermott

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.