Warwickshire County Council has a new arts led project to support people living with dementia and their carers.
The project is one example of the support available through the exciting new Creative Health Warwickshire programme, using the arts to benefit wellbeing.
Arts Uplift CIC will be responsible for delivering an Arts and Dementia programme on behalf of the council across Warwickshire for the next eighteen months. The programme will apply the arts in the broadest sense and includes six artform areas; singing/music, storytelling, reminiscence, performance poetry, dance/movement and arts and crafts.
For each area there will be free workshop sessions offered in the community, hospital wards and care homes, with training offered for support workers. All sessions will focus on six activity themes of holidays, a night out, food and shopping, games and entertainment, school days, and celebrations.
The community sessions will be delivered as free short courses lasting six weeks covering each artform area with each session lasting 75 minutes and including some social time. After the participants finish the six weeks, they will be given a resource pack which will include some suggested activities to carry on with at home. The first block of sessions will start on 8 October.
People can be referred by a health professional or can self-refer. They will need to fill out a referral form before they start which will be online and can be posted. They do not need a formal diagnosis of dementia. The council is also working with Coventry University to evaluate the programme and a report and film will be produced at the end of the commission.
Warwickshire County Councillor Margaret Bell, Portfolio Holder for Social Care and Health, said:
“Participation in the arts can help with improving mental well-being, reducing isolation and loneliness, improving brain cognition and physical co-ordination and also making new friends. It is with this in mind that we have put together the Creative Health Warwickshire Programme providing a wide range of activities and support for people of all ages, abilities and interests. It’s exciting to see the projects coming to life and I hope many will benefit from the Art and Dementia sessions in different settings across the county.”
Jenny Davis, Director of Arts Uplift CIC, added:
“We are so excited and honoured to have been awarded this Creative Care commission from Warwickshire County Council. It is so fantastic that they are investing in arts and health in this way. This is such an amazing opportunity for people living with dementia and their carers. We know from the work and research we do how powerful the arts are in supporting people with dementia and we can’t wait to get going!”
For more information contact Jenny Davis by email at jenny@artsuplift.co.uk or by phone on 07946 585978. To find out more about Arts for Dementia Warwickshire, visit www.artsuplift.co.uk/arts-for-dementia-warwickshire/
For more information about the Creative Health Warwickshire programme which uses the arts to improve mental and physical health and wellbeing go to www.warwickshire.gov.uk/creativehealth