Investigating the Health and Wellbeing Impacts of Museum and Gallery Activities for People Living with Dementia, Stroke Survivors, and Mental Health Service-Users
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Investigating the health and wellbeing impacts of museum and gallery activities for people living with dementia, stroke survivors, and mental health service-users A partnership between FOREWORD “Being familiar with Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums’ health and wellbeing work which covers dedicated adult engagement programmes, volunteering and children and young people’s projects, it is with great pleasure that I have been asked to champion not only what is good at TWAM but great for people of the North East. TRAFFORD GENERAL HOSPITAL This Arts Council England research grant fund was highly competitive and TWAM, with Not So Grim Up North team, were one of eight proposals HAS A LONG ASSOCIATION selected out of over one hundred submissions, which shows the strength of WORKING WITH THE WHITWORTH the delivery and quality of the research proposed. This report clearly highlights the benefits of museum interventions for both AND THE UNIVERSITY OF patients / people in recovery and for professionals leading on that care delivery. Furthermore as a society I see the clear role that culture can play as MANCHESTER, INTRODUCING part of the solution of ill health and health inequalities in both recovery and preventative models so people can live happier, healthier and longer lives.” SHARON HODGSON MP: CREATIVE ART TO A HOSPITAL Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary SETTING, FOR THE WELLBEING OF Group (APPG) on Art, Craft & Design in Education. BOTH PATIENTS AND STAFF ALIKE. HELEN ROGERS Head of Nursing, Clinical Due Diligence. Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT). “Being asked to collaborate in the framework to evaluate the impact “I have been in contact with The Not So Grim Up North project ‘Not So Grim up North’ research of arts on health and wellbeing. Momentum since 2015. My offered me an excuse to dig deeper with the team was exciting; knowing The experience of having the artists problems include right-sided into my family history. My paternal that our patients living with undertake the activities within paralysis, hearing difficulties, grandfather was a water engineer dementia, and stroke rehabilitation the wards had a very beneficial aphasia, and damage to my short in the Newcastle upon Tyne area patients were contributing to impact upon our staff, as well as term memory. I feel drained after before the First World War. My novel research , which would the patients involved, and it was spending a few hours in a group. family had visited the Beamish benefit not just our own hospital, a privilege to be involved in this Momentum introduced me to Open Air Museum a few years but be part of creating a new research.” groups of people who have all before I had my stroke, and again MARK TILLEY: had experience with acquired in 2016. I was determined to carry brain injuries and helped me to on with my grandfather’s story A participant from the understand my injuries, which is regardless of my disability. Momentum Skills – Moving useful. For me this was the next on Together Partnership. I also went back into libraries. At the stage in moving on after going moment I am writing, fairly slowly, through the expert therapies I but if necessary I can apply myself for received with the NHS. hours every day. By keeping careful Prior to my stroke in 2014 I really notes I am able to keep a rhythm to enjoyed going to museums and my writing; in fact I hope to hide the libraries. When I was offered a fact that my short term memory is chance to be involved with the now pretty well a matter of history. Not So Grim Up North project that THE RESEARCH FINDINGS FROM I keep my mind active by picking up would take me back into those new hobbies. In the last year I have environments I found the idea THE NOT SO GRIM UP NORTH taken up a photography group at quite irresistible. Momentum. In my own time I have PROJECT HAVE SHOWN HOW The broad outlines of the project sculpted dinosaurs in Fimo clay and MUSEUM AND CLINICAL STAFF ARE included an eye-opening visit made models of a Roman market. behind the scenes at the Discovery For some reason all the models are ABLE TO ENHANCE EACH OTHER’S Museum, and a conducted tour of to 1/50 scale. For my next writing the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle project I will visit the archives at the SERVICES AND HOW USING ARTS upon Tyne. The group who came Discovery Museum. That is my life, together to create our own works of moving on with one or two projects KRISTI PEARSON AND CULTURAL INITIATIVES HAVE A art got on very well. I would be glad at a time.” to meet up with any of them again, Occupational Therapist POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE HEALTH perhaps in some future project. Northumberland, Tyne & AND WELLBEING OF PATIENTS. By designing our own images of Wear NHS Foundation Trust. things that are important to us I got to see the skills and interests of our group in action. The volunteers who helped us with keying our art into computers certainly deserve a medal for their patience and skills. 2 3 INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW TYNE & WEAR ARCHIVES & MUSEUMS (TWAM) Not So Grim Up North (Oct stroke survivors, and mental Wider aims of the project: 2015 - Feb 2018) was a research health service-users. The research • To further the evidence base of TWAM is a consortium of nine arts and heritage venues, which project funded by Arts Council used a mixed-methods approach the health and wellbeing of the includes museums, galleries, Roman forts, a railway museum England (ACE) in a collaboration that developed fit-for-purpose museum sector and communicate and the county archives service. between University College methodologies for each museum back to the health sector. London (UCL) and museum setting to assess health and TWAM care for collections across four subject areas (art, history partners: The Whitworth and wellbeing across different contexts. • To develop a framework for the and natural sciences have designated status in recognition of their Manchester Museum, The museum and gallery sector to national importance, while the fourth Archaeology is related The study explored participants’ University of Manchester, evaluate these kinds of projects predominantly to the Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site) and own perceptions of their health and Tyne & Wear Archives with different health audiences. manages the venues and services across Tyne and Wear on and wellbeing through qualitative & Museums (TWAM). Other • The wider ethos of the project behalf of five local authorities and Newcastle University. TWAM methods, such as interviews and partners included the NHS and is built on a strong belief that its committed to encouraging the broadest possible access to its reflective diaries. Quantitative third sector organisations in museums and art galleries have collections, exhibitions and programmes. data was collected to measure Greater Manchester and Tyne a place in supporting health change in relation to certain clinical TWAM’s Outreach team has been engaged with delivering and Wear. and wellbeing across a range of outcomes. The aim was to find museum interventions within health and care settings for almost audiences in the community. These partners are based in the out whether, and how, museum a decade and the Not So Grim Up North research project enabled North of England – which explains activities could support wellbeing, To keep the public informed, there museum staff to work closely with the research team to explore the project name. Indeed, it’s not recovery and rehabilitation for a was a blog each month with project different models of evaluation. This learning has influenced the grim up north: there is a vibrant range of different groups. updates so those interested could evaluation methods to be used for future TWAM programmes. arts and cultural scene, and we are engage, follow the work and see Through working in partnership interested in how this can contribute the research findings (link to blog: with the NHS, Adult Social to the health and wellbeing of https://bit.ly/2KlAi43) Care services and Third Sector people in these regions. organisations in Greater This report provides a description The remit of the TWAM • The Network Programme: The aim of the project was to Manchester and Tyne and Wear, of the museum activities in each of Outreach team is to engage supports groups of people investigate the health and wellbeing the research was particularly the sites (Manchester and Tyne and the following people: who live, work or study in impacts of museum and gallery interested in how creative museum- Wear) along with a summary of the Tyneside. The programme is activities for three audience groups: based activities could contribute to research findings. • Adults (including young people 18 about museums, art galleries people living with dementia, positive benefits for these different – 25 years) and archives having a social use Not So Grim Up North groups of people. • Adults who do not currently and value with people outside Health inequalities are such that the Research Team, 2018 engage with TWAM (never have or of TWAM working with us to poorest adults in the North East of are long term lapsed users) actively transform TWAM spaces; England on average will die eight years earlier than the richest adults • Adults who fit within the targeted our venues, collections and our in the South of England. community engagement audience experience. programmes. The community engagement Clearly there are some challenges facing the North East as a region, The Outreach team has a strong programmes came about as a but what has this got to do with the health and wellbeing focus and response to the social issues cultural and heritage sector? all the participants that the team that people in the North East works with are attached to an were facing.