Honouring the stories of our elderly in Residential Aged Care.
Site
Macedon Ranges Health Services -
The Elms, Gisborne.
Project summary
Narrative-based arts project towards a greater sense of community in a residential aged care facility.
Team
Catherine Dinkelmann
Tilla Buden
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Having searched extensively for research into the notion of belonging and community in Residential Aged Care (RAC) facilities in Australia, it became clear that very little research into this area existed, or had been documented in an accessible format. Thus the Stories of Belonging project was born. The aims of the project were:
To foster a greater sense of community and belonging by bringing the residents of a Residential Aged Care community together in a creative, collaborative project.
To honour the elderly and their stories.
To bridge the gap between aged care facilities and the general community.
What we accomplished:
1.
A beautiful sense of community was apparent when the elderly participants made and presented each other with certificates for a life achievement that they wanted to be recognised for. They loved having their experiences and achievements recognised (from being “a good listener”, or a “life member of the Gisborne Squash Club” to “breaking the speed of sound twice”).
2.
When we had a portrait drawing group session, participants became very engaged in drawing each other. They asked me to teach them basic pointers on portrait-drawing. They were astonished at their own work and praised each other’s efforts. One lady who used to draw but hadn’t done so for years (due to arthritis), got drawing, and soon decided that she would take up drawing again - regardless of the fact that she was no longer able to draw like she used to!
3.
Having the final art work installed in The Elms stimulated discussion between residents, clients and the wider community. It became something they were proud of and would show off to visitors. The project gave participants something to work on together – yet in different capacities and at different times.
The paper tapestry panels (the final art work created) became a metaphor for the community that was stitched more closely together. Whilst different people’s photos, portraits, certificates, etc. were stitched together, each participant still had his/her own significant role and were given a voice through their engagement in the work. Some people contributed their own poetry; others offered their wisdom to my questions about belonging and the sense of community in aged care facilities.
This project was featured in the following publications:
Acculturating Age: Approaches to Cultural Gerontology, Stories of Belonging: Using narrative enquiry and visual art to investigate individual and collective identity within residential aged care facilities. Edited by Brian J. Worsfold (Spain), 2011.
Big Story Country – Great Arts Stories from Regional Australia (Regional Arts Australia) case study for best practice community cultural development projects in regional Australia. Edited by Moira Sayer-Jones, 2008.
UNESCO Observatory, A narrative and arts-based inquiry exploring the impact that recognising individual identity has on the sense of community in a Residential Aged Care facility, (Vol 1, Issue 2, 2008).
