We hope to foster an understanding of the value of the arts and creative activity, particularly in a care setting, and demonstrate and celebrate the positive impact of ageing creatively.
Kildare – visual artist John Conway engaged with members of the Naas Day Care Centre over a cup of tea and simple art exercises. In doing so Conway drew out the stories of their life experiences and documented them for posterity as part of their project. Listen to the stories here.
Sligo – Photographer Brian Cooney worked with residents of St John’s Community Hospital in Sligo through photography and paint, to foster personal expression. He will also make a new body of work that will be his personal response to his time in the care facility.
Dublin – Based in the Clonskeagh Community Hospital in Dublin multimedia artist Cliona Ni Laoi used projections to create immersive visual collages using light and sound. In turn this art project fed into Cliona’s research about the therapeutic benefits of audiovisual installations in dementia care setting.
Donegal – Visual artist Andy Parsons was based in the Killybegs Community Hospital. Andy’s project celebrated the wealth of craft skills of the people of Donegal. His project aimed to capture the ingenuity, resourcefulness and creativity of our older generation.
Kerry – Using the mid-century buildings of Castleisland as a starting point visual artist Ciara Rodgers engaged the attendees of Castleisland Day Care Centre in a conversation about the history of the buildings in their area for a project in charcoal drawing.
We believe that, whether you are 8 or 80 years old, we all should have access and opportunities to attend and participate in the arts and to realise our creative potential. Fresh thinking, bold experimentation and creativity are all fundamental to delivering a high quality of life for older people.
Research shows that arts programmes involving music, visual arts and drama, among other activities, have a profound influence on the quality of life of older people, with positive impacts on health, psychological well-being, confidence and autonomy as well as other benefits such as:
- happiness
- mental wellbeing
- reduced stress
- improved cognition
- sense of identity and personhood
- increased self-esteem and confidence
- reduced boredom.