Shared Rituals an evolving art project with the residents and staff at John Sullivan Centre, Cavan.

Description

Shared Rituals an evolving art project with the residents and staff at John Sullivan Centre, Cavan. The project is an attempt to capture the experience of those living with dementia and support them in this journey using the arts as a tool.
A 360 short film was created to capture a sense of the loss and beauty that is experiences by those suffering from Dementia as they live through the illness. The aim was to capture a sense of the embodied emotional journey experienced by the person and recreate this through arts interventions to support them and their families and carers to remember, to celebrate and to acknowledge lived experience, memory, the past and the present. This work was also created to capture a sense for families, carers and loved ones of the interior journey of the person suffering from dementia.
The project was lead by artist and art therapist Kim Doherty, working closely with the Management at the Sullivan Centre supported by Creative Cavan and the Arts Office. It required working closely with the staff and residents at the Sullivan Centre Cavan. The work has evolved over a 24 month period. Initially a series of conversations with the residents of the Sullivan Centre took place during Covid 19 with social distancing measures in place. These conversations were aided by visual prompts, music and other sensory aids and the recollections and dialogue of the residents was captured by the artist. A number of outputs were created including memory boxes bespoke to the residents taking part, portraits and murals created by the artist Colette Kearney for the courtyard space illustrating some of the pertinent themes that arose during the conversations. A 360 short film was created as a way of acknowledging loss that would honour the experiences shared, memory and living with dementia. This work has since been shared with the community at a special launch event for residents, family and friends and through the headsets with residents at the Centre facilitated by the artists and the staff. Ongoing dialogue with the Centre Manager, Maya and staff ensured that the needs of the residents were central.
The aims of the project included the physical and emotional well being of the residents was central to any joint art experience. A quality arts experience was created by and for the residents with an artist/art therapist in consultation with staff. The work would support the staff in their central caring aim of the service. To enhance the environment for the residents and staff.
To provide a sense of the experiences of the residents for their families and carers.
To create work that acknowledges and supports us all appreciate the dementia experience through the use of virtual reality technologies.

Aim of Initiative

The aims of the project included the physical and emotional well being of the residents was central to any joint art experience.
A quality arts experience was created by and for the residents with an artist/art therapist in consultation with staff. The work would support the staff in their central caring aim of the service.
To enhance the environment for the residents and staff. To provide a sense of the experiences of the residents for their families and carers.
To create work that acknowledges and supports us all appreciate the dementia experience through the use of virtual reality technologies.

Who is it aimed at

The project was created by and for the residents with an artist/art therapist in consultation with staff and families. It was also aimed at supporters/carers of people living with dementia and also those interested in dementia. It also aimed to celebrate the memories and lived experience of the residents. The project focused on realising these aims through the arts and the use of virtual reality technologies.

3 Steps critical to success

1. The building of relationships between all the parties. Cavan County Council specifically Creative Cavan and the Arts Office, The Sullivan Centre and the Art Therapist wished to create a project that would provide an optimum creative engagement for the Residents at the Sullivan Centre. The Sullivan Centre expressed an interest in creative projects by making contact with the Social Inclusion Unit Cavan County Council who in turn liaised with the County Council Arts Office. The initial work happened through a project entitled Our Shared Rituals in Summer 2021. This project was funded by Creative Cavan.
   This project supported the development of the key relationships. The art therapist engaged in one to one sessions and reminiscence work with the residents. Through this initial contact good relationships were established. The process built trust between art therapist and residents and in turn with the staff and the wider relationships involved. She liaised with a mural artist on themes that emerged from the group and communicated with the centre manager (Maya Mathew) and local authority. This work took place during Covid and strict rules were followed throughout the project. The required imaginative and slow work methods supported trust building.
2. Using creativity and person-centred approach to enable communication. The art therapist provided a calm presence, bringing a selection of materials to the sessions to enable the best chance of communication. There was no pressure to engage but residents felt safe to communicate in their own way within the reminiscence sessions. Residents explored materials, many felt more comfortable with the art therapist drawing for them as they spoke. In this way the art therapist acted as a visual scribe for their expression. Or sometimes residents wanted to respond and communicate in their own way. As the weeks went by their stories emerged and collective themes were gathered. The art therapist created personalised Memory Boxes containing key points in their life and details unique to each person. Many contained a family tree, childhood memory, important occasions such as a wedding and a birth. The Memory Box, a form of communication that treasured the special moments shared by residents. The boxes were also viewed by family members. The stories shared over the weeks and themes were recorded, discussed and agreed with the mural artist Collette Kearney. It was agreed by the Sullivan Centre that a mural celebrating key themes would be a way for all residents to share in the work even those who did not take part in one-to-one sessions with the art therapist as many of the Residents had similar life experiences. The Courtyard was decided as the location for the mural as it is a shared space. The residents and staff enjoyed watching the mural painting in progress.
   It reflected and communicated back to the residents that their stories had been seen and heard and really valued. Memories of the farm, the trips to the town for messages, or the ballroom of romance were painted before the residents’ eyes. One residents’ bike was painted on the wall. Each image holds a personal form of communication with the resident who inspired it.
3. Exploring Creative technology with communication and the residents in mind. Strong relationships and an openness to creativity among the Sullivan Centre management, families and residents enabled the art therapist to suggest working with Virtual Reality Headsets in 2022. Residents have lived experience of Dementia. At all times the residents needs were placed first. It was expected that families, staff and artists may be the primary audience to engage with the headsets but it was important to include the residents. Two residents tried on the headsets but didn’t feel comfortable with them. The art therapist and a supporting artist Raquel Montero Calero visited residents again engaging in further reminiscence work. With permission of residents and their families residents voices were recorded. The art therapist, Kim Doherty used the audio they captured to create a narrative representative of the stories of the residents focusing on beauty and loss. She worked with the project team and AR and VR specialists Camille Donegan and Sean Burns. They created scenes to represent the essence of the memories of the residents. This was shot in 360 degrees so that it would be available to view on the 360 headsets for a truly immersive experience. This process took 9 months to complete. It was enabled by the trust that all parties had developed through the Shared Rituals project and the desire to explore how the digital technology could support families and staff with the lived experience of dementia as represented through the memories of the residents.
   The short film entitled ‘Acushla My Own Native Land’ was launched at Townhall Cavan in February 2023, with an invited audience of residents, family, friends and staff. Camille Donegan, ARVR Producer viewed the film on a Headset which was connected to a big screen and the audience including Sullivan Centre residents, families, management and staff watched the film onscreen enabled by the producer through the HeadSet. Headsets were also available on the night to view the film. And one remains onsite at Sullivan to view the film. Watching the film enabled by the Headset provided an immersive 360 experience. The two child actors from the film and their peers also viewed the film with their families on the night giving an intergenerational aspect to the work.
   Staff from other Nursing Homes were present and had a very positive response to the work. The Arts Office has received requests for creative projects from other Nursing Homes.

3 Challenges in Planning / Delivery

1. Challenge 1 Working with the pandemic.
   The very beginning of our shared rituals project was delayed because of COVID 19. Older people were part of the most vulnerable group. Once the country opened up somewhat, we were able to begin the project. All visitors temperatures were taken and mask wearing was mandatory. The art therapist used a separate entrance and designated room. The best possible standards were maintained. This continued throughout the project and when the time came the mural artist also adhered to temperature checks, mask wearing and worked outside. In the film project mask wearing continued and the headsets were wiped when shown to the residents. Managing all restrictions was initially difficult in that it delayed the timeline, but everyone was committed to working together and delivered the project, rising to any challenge.
2. Challenge 2. Communication and Understanding.
   The aim of the project was to support the Residents share and communicate their experiences. In the context of the pandemic the execution of the project was challenged. The aims were translated into practical but carefully conceived creations from memory boxes, mural and finally a film to represent the residents’ memories. Each person experiences dementia in a different way. Every day is different for the individual. The project was set up through good communication between the Sullivan Centre, Cavan County Council and the art therapist. The art therapist managed the day to day with Sullivan centre directly. Sullivan centre management and staff also liaised with residents families around permission to participate and permission for voice recording etc. It was critical that the residents needs and their experiences be the most important part of the process. So with clear communication the project logistics were set up around this. For example, sessions were in the mornings after tea when it was the best time for the residents. They spent as much time or as little as they felt like at that moment with the art therapist talking, making art or recording memories. Everyone bought into the project aims to work with the residents and their memories. This happened from the start including the mural artist Colette Kearney through to the artists Raquel Montero Calero. Kim also ensured this respect for content translated into film through her work with the AR and VR specialists Camille Donegan and Sean Burns. Townhall Cavan also ensured a date for the screening, adequate access for residents and the centre arranged taxis. The centre also communicated with families. A full house attended the Townhall Theatre Cavan for the film A Cushla My Own Native Land.
3. Challenge 3. Timelines, production and the Unknown.
   At the Sullivan Centre all work took place with time patience and great care. The greatest challenge throughout the project is the unknown. We don’t know what might happen, for example on occasion someone might not be up to participating one day. This was never a problem. Logistically the timelime wasn’t obvious at Sullivan Centre. For the latest part of the project pre production began in summer 2022, the filming took place in October 2022, editing took place for the following phase and a screening date was confirmed for end of February 2023. All deadlines were made regardless of the challenge. On the night we had one resident unable to attend due to her health. However, the headset remains on site at Sullivan Centre for families to view the film. We are also open to communicating our experience of the project to other settings.

3 Outcomes / Benefits

1. Quality time focused on creativity and communication with residents.
   Benefits:
   The residents benefited from one-to-one time with a focus on them, their story with an opportunity to be creative and engage in a different way. The art therapist dedicated time and resources to support sharing and listening skills with the residents. This was supported by Cavan County Council. The various participants got to know each other in different ways through storytelling, visual aids and creative communications. The themes of the residents’ youth were illustrated in a mural and in the film. Children gained a sense of what previous generations life was like in their community and were part of communicating this with new technology. Everyone involved experienced the launch at Townhall Cavan as a celebration of their creative work in the local Arts Centre and were welcomed by the Cathaoirleach of Cavan County Council.
2. Physical Creative outputs that communicate the individual and collective memories of the residents.
   Benefits:
   Memory boxes were created that are unique to each resident and family. They capture precious moments and personal memories in the person’s life for them and their families.
   A mural that is a visual communication of the collective memories of the residents. This mural is enjoyed by the residents, staff and families at Sullivan Centre Cavan.
   It is a talking point, a means to initiate communication and conversation. It represents the value that the Centre Staff place on the lived experience of the Residents.
3. A short 360 immersive film inspired by residents memories and acknowledges the complexity of dementia for individuals and their circle of support. It communicates both beauty and loss.
   Benefit:
   In the making of the film residents shared their memories with the artists. They also saw what a headset looks like and had opportunity to be creative for example one resident sang. Their memories were spun to create a short film that aspired to represent their lived experiences. The film communicates the beauty, loss and the complex experiences of living with dementia. It is very much a film focused on the person and their landscape across a lifetime. It was important to everyone that the film was shot in the Cavan landscape with its distinctive drumlins and lakes. Motifs such as the local shop, a wedding, children playing in the autumn leaves were all used to connect with universal and individual themes. The Residents were central to the process. They experienced the film launch at the Townhall Cavan through the Digital Technology surrounded by their families, friends and carers. They heard their own voices narrate the story in their own landscape.