You can find links to organisations that provide a range of information and resources for activities.
Care quality team activity and wellbeing co-ordinator network
Are you a care home activity co-ordinator working in the Leeds area? If so why not join the activity and wellbeing co-ordinator network, and come to one of our meetings where we share best practice and network. Contact carequality@leeds.gov.uk for more information.
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.
Download the Treasury or order a free printed version from the Baring Foundation
Ideas for activities is a resource of where to start with providing activities/Ideas/group activities and an A-Z of activities for care homes.
Ideas for activities
NAPA have free activities resource guide
Marks in Time offers community resources including sheet music,image packs and they offer free reminiscence outreach visits to care settings across Leeds. They’ll bring a memory box containing vintage clothing and accessories, and run a reminiscence session with your group
the Age of Creativity Festival has been compiling some great free online and offline resources
Age UK Sheffield have a huge free downloadable list of activities
This archive provides access to a selection of content from the BBC archives , designed to support reminiscence therapy.
My Life TV – Stimulating activities, joyful entertainment and calming content for people living with dementia and their carers
Created by award winning dementia charity My Life films, My Life TV has programmes and content curated for the cognitive needs of people living with the condition – accessed on tv, tablet, phone or laptop.
It’s a fantastic tool for activity providers and care givers;
My Life Films partner with many prestigious organisations including the Alzheimer’s Society, NAPA, British Film Institute, British Pathé and more. They also create bespoke quizzes, sing-alongs, chair yoga, music therapy & reminiscence sessions
Arts4Dementia is a charity organisation developing arts activities to inspire and re-energise people living with dementia and their carers in the community.
Alzhiemers Scotland have produced a useful booklet Activities - a guide for carers of people with dementia However, please note that some of the telephone numbers are for Scottish organisations and therefore are not relevant for those working outside of Scotland.
The city-wide network aims to connect clinicians and public health bodies with a broad range of organisations and arts professionals who are engaging in arts and health activities in Leeds. It will facilitate discussion between different sectors and enable its members to form collaborative groups in areas of shared interest.
Leeds Arts and Health and Wellbeing
Sign up to receive information about Leeds' Arts and Health and Wellbeing Network. Sign up here
Arts in Care Homes is a project managed by NAPA and funded by The Baring Foundation and the Rayne Foundation
There is lots of research that proves that access to the arts makes care home residents happier and healthier. We believe that residents should be offered a wide range of arts activities on a daily basis to enhance their quality of life and increase wellbeing and motivation.
SCIE have a website with resources that can inspire care home residents to be creative
Involving people who live in care homes in the creative arts can delight, inspire and even bring health benefits.
Creative Paths deliver arts in care workshops, both in house and via Zoom, discreet community learning, arts projects and commissions. For care staff and activity coordinators they offer ideas via their blogs and newsletters, consultation services, training and resources.
There website has downloadable resources that you can use.
Creative Paths also have a YouTube presentation that covers why creativity counts, tips and suggestions, using your local resources and things to consider.
Art by Post brings free poetry and visual arts activities to the people who are most isolated by the current social distancing measures. The activities are designed for older adults living with dementia and other chronic health conditions. If you sign up to take part, you’ll receive Art by Post creative booklets which arrive through your letterbox or straight to your email inbox. Through a series of exercises, you’ll be inspired to be more artistic and feed your imagination. Find out more here
Is a group of arts and community organisations who are working together to ensure that the arts in Leeds and beyond are as welcoming and accessible as possible to groups of people who might usually have barriers to engaging with them.
Constella OperaBallet is providing free, virtual and interactive performances for care homes. Delivered by some of the UK’s most exciting musicians and dancers who also work with the Royal Opera House, English National Opera and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Their innovative model provides high-quality performance and well-being support for care home residents. They use an optimised Zoom setup enabling an easy-to-use setup and a Covid-secure environment for performance. This enables their artists to interact with your residents, including performing requests, engaging in conversation and encouraging participation by clapping, singing and even dancing!
To see their work in action, please watch their short video
To set up performances for your home, please email info@constella.org.uk.
Website:
Together with Music (TwM)
; our aim is to connect all care homes in the UK with their local schools, community groups and choirs through music and creativity. We started out in January of this year, and thanks to our partners
Care England
and our sponsors, membership is completely
FREE
, we already have over 600 organisations signed up!!
In addition to providing this safe, virtual, sharing platform to facilitate intergenerational and community connections, we also offer a wealth of tools and resources to support activity and wellbeing staff in care homes, including regular live shows on zoom!
We recognise that everyone needs a bit of joy and positivity right now and our aims are simple:
We are so excited and encouraged by the success of this programme so far and the uptake of organisations and schools across the country. We are seeing momentum growing by the day, in fact our Project Manager, Charlotte Miller, recently featured on Heart Breakfast with Jamie Theakston & Amanda Holden. You can listen to the interview here.
Contact: Jeanette Hague, TwM Connector
Phone: 07710027379 or email: jeanette@togetherwithmusic.org.uk
The BBC Music Memories website is designed to use music to help people with dementia reconnect with their most powerful memories. Evidence shows that music can help people with dementia to feel and live better. Memories from teenage years can often be the most powerful, so why not start by looking for music from that time and begin to create a music playlist?
The Playlist for Life website contains tips on how to use playlists to create an activity.
RemindMecare (aka ReMe) provides care facilities with unlimited readymade activities and remote connectivity. Importantly, the remote family can create activities that are bespoke to the person being cared for, such as making music playlists, uploading photo albums, sharing photos and videos.
10 Today is an exercise programme from Sport England and Demos designed for older people to protect against poor health and improve mental health and maintain independence.
The Royal College of Occupational Therapists have produced the Living Well in Care Homes guides which include practical ideas for activities. This resource is for residents, members of staff and care home managers. It offers best practice in supporting older people to enjoy daily activities that support their health and wellbeing.
For those managing a long term condition We are undefeatable offers inspiration and ideas to help people get active by finding what works for them.
Take a look at the Leeds Directory's activities calendar to find out what is going on in your community.
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