• News: Read about what Arts means to care settings in Leeds  
• Event: Our next Creative Ageing Forum next Friday on what arts looks like with the advantage of age
• Opportunity: A call out for a Leeds Treasury of creative activities 

Arts In Care Homes Special 

Leeds has long been interested in supporting broad engagement in the arts and exploring benefits for health, with organisations in the city having decades of experience. Most recently Time To Shine has worked with a range of organisations, using arts approaches as part of their programmes to combat social isolation and loneliness in later life.

In 2021 our network has brought people together in webinars and through our Creative Ageing Forum to explore how arts and culture play a role in an Age Friendly City where people age well. Existing relationships between care homes and arts organisations have led to new work that focuses on the wellbeing of care home staff as well as residents - such as Dance Down Memory Lane which has used film and dance to prompt connection between people and to their wider community.

For Arts in Care Homes Day we spoke to Jo Bailey, Wellbeing and Activities Co-ordinator and Catherine Smethurst, Operational Development Manager in our Care Delivery Service to share some reflections on our joined-up approach in Leeds.

Eurocities Culture Forum: Culture and creativity for health and wellbeing in post pandemic cities/Ageing Europe

Leeds Creative Ageing Forum: International Day of Older People Meeting

New resources for members in developing their knowledge and practice:

Baring Foundation: Launch of a new Treasury of Creative Activities

If you are an activity coordinator in a care home, a dementia café volunteer, a domiciliary carer, or work in a day centre, a friend or family member or someone looking for creative inspiration.... well then this could well be the resource for you!

With 52 accessible, creative activities (one for each week of the year), this 2nd volume of the popular Treasury of Arts Activities is designed for everyone who would like to bring more art and creativity into the work they do with older people. It aims to provide ideas and inspiration that will enable you to develop your own creative practice and introduce new and exciting things to the people you work with.

Opportunities for members and their networks in arts and health:

LAHWN: Call out for a Treasury of Creative Activities - Leeds Edition

After talking with members of the Creative Ageing Forum there has been a strong interest in collecting examples of creative activities enjoyed by older people in Leeds.

The team at Baring Foundation and Small Things Creative Projects, who created this year's Treasury as well as a previous edition in 2019, were very supportive of an edition focusing on a geographic area, helping us build connections and support good practice.

Machteld (Maggie) De Ruyck at Leeds Playhouse will be supporting a team of LAHWN members to curate contributions to a treasury of local creative exercises designed for working with older age groups and creative wellbeing for the wider caring workforce to be launched in Age of Creativity Month/Creativity and Wellbeing Week in May 2022.

Anyone with ideas for creative workplace wellbeing activities or experience working in creative ageing is invited to submit their ideas.

What's coming up in Creative Ageing in the next few weeks:

Tuesday 28th September 11AM to 12.30PM Institute of Public Health Ireland: Arts and Creativity in Later Life - Implications for Public Health and Older People This online event from Ireland will share a systemic review on the implications of creative ageing for health and wellbeing in older adults, as well as a review of economic evaluation methodologies for improving health and wellbeing in older adults. Details on how to book available here.

Thursday 30th September to Friday 1st October Eurocities Culture Forum: Culture and creativity for health and wellbeing in post pandemic cities Learn more and register here.

Friday 1st October 11.00AM to 12.00PM LAHWN Creative Ageing Forum Meeting on International Day of Older Persons Leeds Playhouse host our next online forum meeting sharing experiences of creativity in later life from across our region. Book here.

For further information on arts, culture and creative activities happening across Leeds visit Leeds Inspired here.