Full Report 59 It’s really informed how we’re going to approach some of our projects in the future… looking at the kind of first layer which is eliciting and working together really personally and then creating films, that can be something that is wider spread, that raises awareness to work to a theme or a challenge…it’s been really inspired by, by the way that we did the project. Arts organisation evaluation day Care home staff and artists’ wellbeing The wellbeing of care home staff was identified as a key focus for the project, particularly within the pre-residency interviews in relation to the devastating impact of the pandemic. …staff morale was at the lowest you could probably get… it was very sad to see. Because these staff have worked their backsides off… Everyone had done everything they possibly can…the care sector had an absolute dreadful time… Care home pre-residency Photo: Camilla Greenwell Magic Me and the arts organisations recognised this and shifted their focus to look at how staff could also be supported through the ARCH programme alongside residents. Care home staff reported finding joy in seeing the residents working with the artists and that it provided an emotional release. …for every one of us, I think it has just brought nothing but joy. And to be able to take that time for ourselves…It has taught me to be able to take on that emotion that we sometimes block. We deal with a lot of sadness within the home, as well as happy times, and I don’t think we ever really deal with it in a way that perhaps we should…just having that piece of music and just sitting there, and turning my back on all that’s going on, and just dealing with that emotion. And it’s okay to cry, it’s okay to show emotion... Care home post-residency Care home staff wellbeing was also discussed particularly in relation to care home staff attrition and turnover – often because of the toll the pandemic had taken on them and simply the need for a change. The concerns around wellbeing made the positive emotional impacts from the residencies on care home staff even more pertinent. …the video was so emotional for us, because we didn’t think that we were ever going to be kind of back to our baseline, if you like, because we’d had so much sadness and misery. It had affected everybody so much that we really didn’t know whether we were going to be able to get back to where we were. To hear music and laughter, again, in the home, has just been amazing…It lifted all our spirits. Care home pre-residency
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