Over the years people have told us countless times about much of a difference being creative has made to them – through the social contacts made as well as the intrinsic pleasure of making or performing. A report we did with the Campaign to End Loneliness back in 2012 highlighted the already high levels of loneliness among older people. This is going to be a particularly hard time.
However, the wonderful world of creative ageing is already alive with ideas about how we can still bring the joy of arts and creativity into care homes and to older people isolated at home.
We are collecting them here as we see them on the basis that the more signposting there is, the better. We know there will be lots more going on that we haven’t come across yet – if you’re doing something or know of someone who is, let us know and we’ll keep adding to this.
NEW! Digital Art School by Hospital Rooms
Over 50 on-demand high-quality visual art sessions with world-class artists, with regular new additions. These are designed for mental health hospital settings, but worth exploring for community settings, care homes and at home!
NEW! Two new guides for care home leaders and communities
Not an activity resource as such, but this useful new guide from the National Activity Providers’ Association (NAPA) is full of helpful ideas and advice for care home leaders seeking to set up creative programmes in their homes. Produced with and for care home managers, it also shows how an active creative programme can help with CQC assessment.
On a similar theme, the wonderful Magic Me have produced this new guide to simple ways to bring everyday moments of creativity into care home life, based on their long experience delivering arts in care.
Mixed art form collections
Treasury of Arts Activities for Older People: Volume 1
Compiled by Liz Postlethwaite with our support, the Treasury is a free compilation of 50 arts activities (all sorts from dance to craft) for use in settings with older people, including care homes.
It’s available to download from our website.
Treasury of Arts Activities for Older People Volume 2
A second volume of the hugely popular Treasury by Liz Postlethwaite, this time with 52 creative activities, one for each day of the year. Designed for everyone who would like to bring more art and creativity into the work they do with older people.
Available to download from our website or order a printed copy.
Age Cymru’s cARTrefu programme & activity cards
Age Cymru has launched a new website for its very successful cARTrefu programme – the biggest arts in care homes programme in Europe.
There are a total of 45 creative activity sessions, covering visual arts, performing arts, words and music, and sensory activities – all designed to be done without expert knowledge or specialist equipment. You can find them all here.
Arts in Care Homes
Arts in Care Homes runs the annual National Day of Arts in Care Homes (every year on 24th September) and its website has lots of activities and how-to guides.
Artists John Fox and Sue Gill who are interviewed in The Artist in Time (Herbert Press 2020) which profiles artists born before 1950, also prepared this lovely simple visual arts activity for Arts in Care Homes Day 2020 called Through the Window.
Luminate@Home
A collection of 31 short online films demonstrating creative activities developed by the creative ageing development agency for Scotland, Luminate, and Scottish Care, and shared throughout the lockdowns of 2020.
The activities are presented by professional artists and feature different arts forms including crafts, poetry, music and dance, aimed people living in their own homes, as well as care home staff who are looking for ideas of activities for residents.
Small Things: The Storybox Project
The Storybox Project is a fun and inclusive programme of activities for people living with dementia, which use creativity and imagination as a starting point. Intended for group settings like care homes but also for families at home and with accessible recipe-style ideas. They are currently able to offer it for free thanks to a grant from the National Lottery Fund.
Manchester Museum in Quarantine – Cultural First Aid Kit: Resources for Carers
30 creative and fun activities and workshops that can be completed in the comfort of your own home, in hospital or care centres and homes. Includes music, storytelling, craft and visual art.
Age of Creativity
Age of Creativity have collected activities with older people in mind here, usefully themed by art form. Includes activities for care homes and people living with dementia.
Visual arts, crafts, history of art
Creative care homes – an A-Z of arts activities and inspirational ideas
A new resource by Paintings in Hospitals with lots of ideas for visual arts activities (printmaking, quick drawing, repeat pattern, still life…) for care homes.
Download here and hard copies can be requested from Paintings in Hospitals
Nottingham City Arts: the Armchair Gallery app
The Armchair Gallery is an app developed by Nottingham City Arts which brings world-class heritage, museum and gallery collections to you. It is especially designed for people living with dementia.
It includes artworks and artefacts from the collections of Chatsworth House, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, The Lowry, Dulwich Picture Gallery, Pitt Rivers Museum, Mr Straw’s House & Newstead Abbey, and lots of creative activities alongside them.
It includes instructions for carers for doing tried-and-tested creative activities.
You can download the app here.
On a similar theme, V21 Artspace have made virtual tours of hundred plus art exhibitions to explore virtually, which could provide starting points for creative activities.
Crafts Council: Dementia-friendly craft with a garden theme
Dementia friendly craft ideas designed by the Crafts Council with the Garden Museum.
Fermynwoods Contemporary Arts: Isolation Moments
Online art workshops, prompts and tutorials from Northamptonshire based Fermynwoods.
The first workshop is from artist Jessica Harby who runs classes in ‘anti-drawing’ where the goal is to draw badly! As an example, the first idea is called Drawing Sounds and encourages you to draw in respond to sound clips. Audio equipment and basic drawing equipment like coloured pencils and paper needed only.
Equal Arts: Create at Home packs
Equal Arts – the specialist creative ageing organisation based in Newcastle & Gateshead – produce regular Create at Home Packs. Packs cost £4 (plus P&P), available here.
They also have How to Guides for care homes created by artists usually delivering creative workshops in care settings. Contact Equal Arts on information@equalarts.org.uk if you’re interested in the guides and additional recorded tutorials.
Creative Mojo: Free isolation activity resources
Creativity Mojo have some free creative activities for care homes, carers and those socially isolating, as well as their more tailored paid-for offers for care homes.
Dance and movement
Upswing: Homemade Circus!
Simple circus games and exercises designed for care homes and to be led by staff. No experience or circus skills necessary.
This handbook was developed as part of the Hull City of Culture celebrations and funded by the Foundation.
Yorkshire Dance: Dance On
Dance On is an exciting project is for over 55s bringing citywide dance programmes in normal times to venues in Bradford, Leeds and Doncaster. They are now running sessions online on zoom – Wednesdays and Fridays.
Moving Well creative movement workshops
Moving Well is a new online learning resource from Moving Memory Dance Theatre of more than 50 films and over 20 worksheets which can be used by workshop leaders to plan participatory creative movement workshops.
Designed primarily for older peoples’ groups (but can be done with all ages), Moving Well contains plenty of practical information together with a unique “pick‘n’mix” of exercises, from which you can plan your workshop, taking whatever suits you and your group.
Music, singing and musical get-togethers
Travel These Ways: Songs to sing at home
Commissioned by Luminate’s Dementia Inclusive Singing Network, this is a collection of songs created for people living with dementia to enjoy singing on their own or with family, friends or carers. The collection includes two new songs written by award-winning musician Karine Polwart, and two medleys of well-known songs. With each song and medley you will find:
- Films of song-leaders guiding you through the songs
- Song words
- Notated music
- Recorded music for you to sing along with – an instrumental version and a version with other singers
If you’re lucky enough to be based in Newcastle and Gateshead you can request a visit from Equal Arts’ Singing Hinnies to brighten up your care home (£60) or a local street (free). You can book online here and you can hear them singing here!
The Singing for Better Breathing Resource includes ideas for warm-ups and familiar songs to sing along to on Youtube. The programme was designed with singers with long-term health conditions in mind by the Sidney De Haan Research Centre, part of Canterbury Christ Church University.
Join in with the The Sofa Singers – a weekly online choir run by vocal leader, James Sills. Tuesdays, 7.30pm GMT and Fridays 11am GMT.
Shapeshifter Productions have been running Smiling Sessions, virtual sing-alongs featuring well-known artists, available on their website and an app.
Activities specially for people living with dementia
National Museums Liverpool: dementia-friendly My House of Memories app
The My House of Memories app allows you to explore objects from the past and share memories together. It can be used by anyone, but has been designed for, and with, people living with dementia and their carers.
You need a tablet for the app – but there are also ideas on the website for creating Memory Trees and Memory boxes non-digitally.
Ready-made schemes to take part in
64 Million Artists: Online creative challenges
64 Million Artists will again be running the January Challenge in 2021, sending fun daily creative challenges for people to do and share.
Bigger collections for all ages
The Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance
The CHWA, which serves the whole arts and health sector, is putting together a page of resources related to the COVID-19 crisis.
This includes a growing list of digital creative resources which care homes might be able to use or adapt for residents, as well as resources and advice for freelancers and arts organisations.
