64 Dare To Imagine see themselves in the film”, but also facilitated staff reflection on their role and relationship with residents. [Watching the film] really made them realise how important their connection… with the residents was…especially the duets, they could see how meaningful and how much the care staff, especially in recent years, were the family to the residents…which hadn’t been something that was intentionally part of the choreography…so I think that was really interesting, to see that that’s how they received that, and really seeing both the importance of what they do, and how they can do it more… Arts organisation post-residency These events also celebrated the end of the project, with endings described as “really vital, very valuable” particularly in the care home setting. One arts organisation explained how this is wrapped up in the creative outputs that continue to develop impact. Of course there will be an end…but there will be something more that we get…we learn more about [the residents]. We are able to leave something even more special and interesting. More about their lives rather than just dance sessions. I think it is really amazing. Arts organisation pre-residency Arts organisations also left behind resources to support legacy and embedding, often in the form of boxes with “practical or concrete” resources and props for recreating creative sessions as described in section 4. Embedding creativity in care home culture A key aim for the ARCH programme from both Magic Me and Excelcare perspectives was to promote the value of arts in care homes and embedding creativity as part of the care home culture to promote residents’ wellbeing. This was also echoed by one Care Home Manager during the R&D phase, who expressed hopes for “a bit of a culture change and a bit of a lasting legacy from it” suggesting “it might influence people’s attitudes” beyond the Lifestyle Coordinator and Champions. Despite the disruption of Covid-19, this aim was reignited particularly after the first film had been created, which “raised the awareness of how ambitious a project can be and what it can do”. Embedding creativity in care homes was predominantly approached through building relationships with care home staff, involving them in ARCH, and engaging them with the power of the participatory arts. …how do we reach and kind of involve more staff? So that we have a greater chance of there being a kind of sustained culture, I’m not going to say shift because it doesn’t need to shift as such but like an addition. Arts organisation pre-residency One Care Home Manager shared how ARCH had invigorated her staff with “more ideas” and enthusiasm around what they could do next, although they still depended on the Lifestyle Coordinator to make it happen. Certainly, identifying staff who were interested and enthusiastic about being involved was seen as potentially more useful than involving everyone as they could then be better supported with resources to take the creative practice forward.
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