A joint initiative between Adult Social Care Transformation Team, Creative Health at the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Dementia United, and members from the Dementia Carers Expert Reference Group.
We had a one-off funding opportunity to support a number of care homes to explore creative and sustainable approaches to promoting brain health and wellbeing for people living with dementia. Six care homes were supported in their creative endeavours, from gardening to music and art therapies. The project started in December 2022, and evaluation visits occurred in August and September 2023.
Residents were observed to eat and sleep better, they exhibited less anxiety, were more engaged with their environment. Staff and other residents were generally happier and more relaxed. Staff also benefitted from working in calmer environments and found it easier to engage with residents.
Each of the five projects demonstrated that, with only minimal investment, creative activity can improve the daily lives of residents and the wellbeing and job satisfaction of staff. Visitors also commented on the positive impacts for their relatives.
Greater Manchester is recognised as a leader in ageing well and in creative health, and creativity in care homes embodies Greater Manchester’s ambition to be one of the best places in the world to grow old and to be a place where culture and creativity are at the heart of how we care for others.
We put forward nominations to the national Dementia Care Awards coming up in June. These awards celebrate outstanding practice in dementia services and recognise a commitment to deliver outcome focused, person centred care for people living with dementia.
We’re delighted to share with you that two of the nominations are finalists in their categories. The project team are finalists in the Co-production and Partnerships Award and Mandy Dhaliwal of Highfield Manor and Highfield House Care Homes is a finalist in the Innovative Spaces: Design Award. Judging takes place on 8th May, with the awards ceremony in London on 13th June.
You can find out more in our report: Creativity in care homes final report
This project was one of three small grant schemes funded by Dementia United and prioritised within our two-year strategic delivery plan. You can find out more about the other two grant schemes( Big Brain Health Fund and the Bounce Back Fund) on our website
