Intro

A collaboration between Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board - BCUHB (NHS Wales) and Theatr Clwyd, led by BCUHB `Creative Well` Arts in Health & Wellbeing team.

The project aims to provide a positive, creative and participant led experience, with workshops and performances led by professional arts practitioners, within a theatre context.

The project, which has been running since 2016, has recieved funding by Arts Council of Wales and the National Lottery. However, this funding is not guaranteed year on year.

Need

The project which is led and initiated by BCUHB Arts in Health and Well-Being Creative Well programme enables patients with memory loss and their carers to take part in arts based workshops at Theatre Clwyd.

Local school children are also invited to take part in the workshops with the patients and they complete activities like stagecraft, making masks, dancing and acting.

Patient referrals are made through BCUHB Flintshire Community Mental Health team and Mold Community hospital. The projects are tailor made to support health and well-being for Flintshire patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).

Supports participants/patients and their carers` in designing activities which help in their management of a life changing prognosis. * Avoids risk of isolation and loss of meaningful social interaction.

Benefits

Specific benefits reported by the participants include increased confidence, rediscovering skills and deriving focus and satisfaction from the completion of creative activities.

There are a number of features of the project which contributes to the success of the group:

💜 Quality of relationship with creative team
💜 Fun
💜 Theatre as home
💜 Support to live with their new `normality`
💜 Creative challenge stimulating declining cognitive functions and building self confidence

Impact

The success of the group, as defined by participants, is that they feel the project supports them to live with their new changed circumstances; their wellbeing has increased, and they are being creative and reconnecting with their cognitive functions through learning experiences.

Theatr Clwyd has literally opened its doors, creative spaces, hearts and minds to the groups. The project enables patients to interact in creative spaces, many of which may have felt inaccessible, especially since their diagnosis. It also helps patients and their families combat the social isolation which they can feel post-diagnosis.

"The project is inspiring, positive and engaging and promotes well-being and a sense of community."