Arts and Health Cross Party Group Meeting 11 July 2023

12:15 at the Pierhead Building

Present

Jayne Bryant (Chair), Member of Senedd

Sally Lewis, Arts Council of Wales

Angela Rogers, WAHWN

Teri Howson-Griffiths, Betsi Cadwaladr UHB

Ingrid Unsworth, Betsi Cadwaladr UHB

Johan Skre, Swansea Bay UHB

Sarah Goodey, Aneurin Bevan UHB

Claire Turner, Aneurin Bevan UHB

Lucy Bevan, Powys Teaching HB

Kathryn Lambert, Hywel Dda UHB

Gabrielle Walters, Hywel Dda UHB

Sofia Vougioukalou, Cardiff University

Simone Joslyn, Cardiff & Vale UHB

Dewi John, Older People’s Commissioner for Wales

Elinor Lloyd, Arts Council of Wales (minuting)

Chelsea Fraser, Jayne Bryant’s Office

Cath Harrison, Pride Cymru

Kelly Barr, Age Cymru

Sarah Teagle, Forget me not chorus

Katherine Harri, Forget me not chorus

Suzy West, Impelo

Juls Benson, Reality Theatre

Kiri Evans, Reality Theatre

Amal Beyrouty, Women Connect First

Karen Cox, Public Involvement group

Kalpana Natarajan, Public Involvement group

Mal O'Donnell, Public Involvement group

Aleona Saunders, Public Involvement group

Tatiana Zagorodnya, Public Involvement group

Olga Zagorodnya, Public Involvement group

Maggie Beecher, Public Involvement group

Welcome and Introductions

Jayne Bryant, Chair, welcomed all to the meeting. The apologies were noted as above.

Minutes of the last meeting 09 February 2023

The Group agreed that the minutes of the last meeting were an accurate record.

Presentation from Dr Sofia Vougioukalou and project partners on Creative Ageing and Social Prescribing: Bridging the Gap Between Diverse Service Providers and Policy Makers in Wales

Sofia provided an update and overview of the British Academy-funded research project she was undertaking with partner organisations that aimed to explore and identify the barriers to accessing Social Prescribing for older people who experience social isolation and/or dementia from minoritised and under-represented communities. 10 case studies underpinned the research project and this was supplemented by a wider service mapping exercise as well as 5 x thematic focus groups.

Key themes needing further consideration:

1. The arts and health service interface: wellbeing vs social prescribing

2. Inclusion and safety in arts and health: do we need to create safe or brave spaces?

3. Open vs closed membership in creative group activities

4. Arts for wellbeing vs skills-based training

5. Evaluating and communicating impact

Key issues emerging included the need to tailor the offer and connect older people to a suitable cultural offer; there was limited knowledge of the minoritised older person’s perspective and how to best inform policy in this area. Often cultural and recreational activities with one’s peers within their specific demographic category had the biggest impact on mental health and wellbeing. Isolated older people can go for long periods without speaking to anyone. Older people with dementia are living longer and need to be supported in the community to avoid unnecessary hospitalisation which might lead to deconditioning. Sofia was now working with partners including those in the Public Involvement Group to apply the policy recommendations.

Various project participant groups then shared practical examples of creative projects being delivered with older people and minorised groups

Forget Me Not chorus (Sarah Teagle)

The FMNC started 12 years ago and works in the community and in care homes and hospitals using the power of song to improve people’s quality of life. FMNC’s main hub is in south Wales. 22 in-person sessions take place every week2, reaching some 500 people. In addition, a pre-recorded online library of singing sessions can be accessed as well as the online zoom choir. All of FMNC’s work is free at the point of access with some care homes buying a package of singing sessions for their residents. The 30 strong, trained music team work to deliver the charity’s mission of empowering those impacted by dementia. The approach avoids using song sheets which can disadvantage non-music readers and regards everyone first and foremost as a singer. Shared song is used as a tool for communication not just for reminisce. Members are challenged to learn new pieces as well as enjoy music that is familiar to them. The sessions focus on uplifting participants and provide a respite from the devastating effects of dementia. The FMVC has also set up Calon Chorus, the first choir in Wales made up of people who have lost loved ones to dementia. FMNC maintains strong partnerships with WNO, RWCMD and Cardiff Singer of the World and the Alzheimer’s society. Public performances help to amplify the participants’ voices.

Impelo (Suzy West)

Impelo is a dance company based in rural mid-Wales who have been working with isolated older people living outside of care homes in partnership with Dementia Matters Powys. They have developed bespoke dance sessions with a physiotherapist to ensure the activity is safe for a group that is at a high risk for falls. The focus is on creative movement and touch which the participants find to be a welcome change from everyday functional movement.

Golden years project, Women Connect First – (Amal)

The aim of this project is to bring ethnic minority women together to connect and learn together. Lockdown and the need to develop online skills and connect digitally was the original impetus for the project. 40 women started the training and this soon grew to 180 leading to a sense of much greater inclusion and social connection for the women. The Golden Year project has 214 members drawn from  30 diverse ethnic backgrounds and ages span from 50-87 years. The most common health problems within the group were arthritis, mobility issues and mental health issues which can compound a sense of isolation as do language barriers and social economic barriers.

Reality Theatre screened their short Ffilm The Person I Used To Be - YouTubebased on research findings from this project which prompted a rich discussion around the issues raised. 

Arts & Minds Case Study from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board

Teri Howson-Griffiths, Strategic Lead, Arts in Health and Ingrid Unsworth, Specialist Occupational Therapist within Forensic Services from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board presented on their current Arts & Minds project (funded by ACW and The Baring Foundation). The project aims to improve the mental health of 25 male patients in a secure unit. The project began with weekly art sessions over 12 weeks with all in the unit incited to join. The age of the patients ranged from 21-45 years and an independent evaluator was engaged to assess and report on the outcomes.

The beatboxer, Mr Phormula, aka Ed Holden delivered sessions with patients from across 3 wards. Despite some patients being very unwell, they were very keen to attend the sessions with one patient was so inspired that he wrote 7 songs in a week! The song-writing provided an outlet for creative expression and a means of therapy, recounting the story of his recovery journey. In all, the group wrote 13 new tracks from scratch which have been submitted to the Koestler arts in criminal justice awards. The project resulted in increased confidence and self-esteem; greater engagement in other therapy sessions as well as better engagement with the psychiatrist. Occupational therapists noticed in more settled mental health generally and a reduced need for restraint. The creative project also resulted in improved relationships and increased eye contact and having an opportunity to share and celebrate the project brought additional positive benefits. A subsequent phase of the project involved TAPE working with the male patients to create digital animation offering further skills development in creating album covers. Looking ahead to Year 2, the patients have expressed an interest in graffiti art and continuing with music video creation and BCU will share the final evaluation in due course.

The Chair thanked Teri and Ingrid for sharing their inspiring work and wished them well for the next phase.

Partner Updates

The Chair thanked everyone who had supplied updated reports. No further comments were noted from the group.

AOB

The Chair thanked everyone for attending the meeting in person for the first time since the pandemic.  The next meeting will take place on Zoom on 23 October 2023.