Creative Journeys Report 2019

Creative Journeys 9 This report provides an overview of the research funded by Arts Council England (2016-18) which explored the role of participatory arts and culture within residential care home settings in developing and maintaining social relationships between older people, between older people and care staff, and between care homes and the wider community. The impact of arts and culture on well-being is widely acknowledged (Cutler, 2012; Bungay et al., 2014; Fraser, Bungay and Munn-Giddings, 2014), however the specific impact on social relationships as a mechanism for addressing loneliness and social isolation has received little attention and was therefore the focus of the research. The study forms part of a broader portfolio of arts and cultural activities for older people living in care homes throughout Essex, entitled Creative Journeys, which began in 2015 led by Essex County Council Culture and Community Engagement Team (ECCCCET). The proposal for the research was developed through a long-standing partnership between ECCCCET with Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) as an academic partner and built on an earlier review by ARU of in-house evaluations of various arts activities carried out for ECCCCET. The reviews highlighted the potentially important role that arts and cultural activities could have in improving a range of relationships in care home settings. 1. Introduction