Creative Journeys Report 2019

68 Creative Journeys I think these activities are positive for everyone, a better working environment, happy residents make happy carers. (Survey respondent) However, in stage two interviews, staff and residents noted some challenges in sustaining activities, particularly when they involved links with the local community, for example schools will often engage in one off involvement for a particular project or with a particular year group and it is difficult to maintain that relationship. Additionally, at the three month follow-up interviews in stage one, the activities coordinators and residents in Rambert Care Home had decided to create a replacement activity of play-reading after the Green Candle programme had finished, representing an indirect sustainable impact. Intentions were also expressed by the activities coordinator at Vaudeville Care Home to continue a similar activity to Age Exchange on a regular basis, which was supported by the care manager; though at the three month follow-up this had not yet taken place. As previously discussed, a major barrier was the sole reliance on the activities coordinator to make this happen, which was challenging due to the large number of residents they were responsible for, and the lack of cover to sustain such initiatives when the activities coordinator was on leave. What I think worries us as an organisation is that on the whole, there is very little creative interaction or activity that they have, unless they’re very high- end care and we’re looking at high-end art therapy or whatever. But on the whole, it’s quite rare to have someone like [activities coordinator]. It’s quite rare to have an activities coordinator, and he’s an activities coordinator responsible for a lot of people; over 100 people. (Stage one arts facilitator) One way to encourage and support care staff to provide continued arts activities is through promoting their capacity to engage in the arts and deliver activities themselves. Stage one findings showed that staff learnt from the arts facilitators’ delivery of participatory arts. For example, activities coordinators developed new relational skills and new ways to interact with residents, while wider care staff learnt to see residents in a new light in terms of their interests and capabilities, which then facilitated sustained interaction and relationships. The arts organisations endeavoured to leave behind tools, skills and resources so that similar activities could continue, and Age Exchange were able to provide training for care staff on their creative facilitation approach, though this was subject to further funding. Giving them inspiration to try new ideas as a constant. (Arts organisations focus group) It is however important to stress the quality and additional value of professional artists working with residents, as discussed in the section on creative mediating factors.