While our NHS provides the life saving and life prolonging drugs, frontline staff, and basic facilities, we rely on the generosity of members of the public to ensure that we can continue to provide much valued added extras like complementary therapies, which are making a real difference to local cancer patients.
Rydym yn aros am gyfieithiadau ar gyfer y cynnwys hwn
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
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.
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.
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
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.
As a result of these small group meetings we have seen disadvantaged members [with mild cognitive impairment] gain confidence and become contributors to the conversation rather than be silent witnesses
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