Partners in Arts Participation
ACHF Arts Access
Older adults in a long-term care home will engage in participatory arts experiences that they cannot easily access otherwise. The project will create opportunities for elders, caregivers/teachers, family members, and children who live, work, and learn in a long-term care setting to participate together in arts activities. 2: Teaching artists will guide participants in activities to improve their physical and emotional wellbeing, enhancing the organization’s services. Assessments will identify physical and emotional health status prior to, during and after participation in activities. Caregivers/family members will report on observed changes in elders.
Twenty-two different elders participated in the sessions, an average of twelve each week. Approximately seventy-five individuals participated in the Community Dance Hall. The project aimed to bring participatory arts experiences to frail elders who could not otherwise experience the arts. Achievement of this outcome was assessed by recording the number of elders who participated in project sessions and the frequency of each person's participation. The project also documented participation of children, teachers, family members, and staff. Numbers of participants were lower than originally projected, but impact of experience on diverse participants was significant. 2: Three artists brought music into the circle of elders, who were physically and emotionally engaged in the music, stories and personal interactions. The evaluation plan involved a self-assessment tool for elders to indicate pre-and post-session feelings. This proved too cumbersome. Instead, with the small number of participants, the project outcome was assessed by recorded observations of the Life Enhancement Director and other staff. They noted changes in mood, activity level, engagement, and focus. Measuring change over the course of the project was less relevant than noting the positive impact of project activities on a daily basis.