Testimonial of member of staff from a care home on the benefits of arts activities for her and her residents:

Image of residents in art studio

The arts in our care home are the heart and soul of all we do. The arts provide a solid choice of activities that are essential to the health and happiness of our residents. Something as small as a paintbrush can turn someone’s day around.

For me I have seen the arts give our residents a purpose – it makes them feel like they belong again. We have a strong emphasis on art, crafts and painting but also music therapy. Music therapy is vital to our residents living with dementia. This is realised when you see residents faces lighting up with the biggest smiles and every single song lyric is nostalgically remembered.

The arts turn an ordinary day into a day full of fun, laughter, reminiscence and stimulation and can be done so easily. One of our residents Irene had never painted before coming to our home. She took up painting in our Art Room and she says:

“I can’t tell you how much I look foward to a Thursday, I had never picked up a paintbrush untill I came here and now I don’t put one down. It’s fantastic, it gives me a purpose and I’m proud of what I do.”

I can honestly say that Irene waits for art class every Thursday and is there half an hour early every week. Her passion for her new found hobby is infectious and has a waiting list of family and friends, wanting a picture painted by her. Our happy home would, without a doubt, not be the same without having the arts at the centre of what we do and at the forefront of our minds when planning activities.”

Rosanna Ramsay, Coombe Hill Manor, Care UK