The people living at Park Avenue Care Home in Bromley recently took part in a sensory session inspired by the findings from a creativity resource developed by Arts Charity, Magic Me.
DARE TO IMAGINE was designed to inspire care homes across the country by showcasing creative art forms developed during the four-year residency program, which involved four independent arts organisations hosting unique experiences at four of our care homes based in Essex. The project aimed to build relationships between artists and the people who live and work in our homes through participation in creative arts, and to increase the understanding and potential of embedding creativity in care homes.
Based on insights gained from the residency term, a creativity guide called DARE TO IMAGINE was created to help inspire care homes across the country to introduce creative art forms the four-year residency program.
After reading the resource and taking inspiration from the variety of creative arts forms showcased, Park Avenue’s Lifestyle Coordinator, Sukhy put what she had read into practice to host a sensory session with the people who live there.
Part of the DARE TO IMAGINE resource is about creating sensory spaces where participants can have tranquil, or exciting experiences. So, Sukhy transformed the salon inside the care home, using decorations, colourful lighting, scented oils and objects people could touch. This completely changed a once familiar space, creating a new and exciting environment for the activity.
After inviting people into the space, they thought it was new room, with one person saying ‘I haven’t seen this room before’ – showcasing Sukhy’s transformation was successful!
After taking a seat, the people who live at Park Avenue began to notice the scents in the air and the different types of lighting that were placed around the room.
Sukhy and Linda, a volunteer who supports the team at Park Avenue, then began to lead people into different sensory experiences. Linda encouraged people to close their eyes and gave them a hand massage, while Sukhy encouraged people to feel the different objects placed around the room and observe the unique forms of lighting.
The last part of the session was guided meditation with gentle music playing in the background. People were encouraged to close their eyes, think of their favourite place and let the scents and sounds of the room transport them there.
After the session, people were asked to share their experiences and how the session made them feel. Margaret commented, “I feel relaxed, and my mind feels clearer,” whilst Alex said, “I enjoyed the hand massage and looking at the star lights in the ceiling.”
The comments from the people who took part was very positive, with each person highlighting a different aspect of the multisensory session.
The DARE TO IMAGINE resource and findings from the Artist Residency Program, in collaboration with Anglia Ruskin University and funded by Paul Hamlyn Foundation, was instrumental in making this experience for a people a success.
Sukhy enjoyed seeing the joy this session brought to people and will be hosting more engaging experiences using learnings from the DARE TO IMAGINE resource.
To find out more about the artist residency program or download a copy of DARE TO IMAGINE, please click here.