West Cork Arts Centre, in partnership with the Health Service Executive Southern Area, West Cork Adult Education Services and the Arts Office, Cork County Council, is working to develop, co-ordinate and deliver an appropriate and meaningful arts programme for Community Hospitals in the West Cork area with a view to making it a viable, sustainable long-term arts for health project.
Services provided by the Community Hospital structure include acute care, rehabilitation, respite, palliative and continuing care. Other services, including activity programmes, are an integral part of the operating philosophy of a community hospital complex (Ageing with Confidence Strategy 1999).
There are over 72,000 people over the age of 65 in the Cork and Kerry region i.e. 12% of the total population. Life expectancy in our society continues to increase and is expected to continue to do so into the future. Projections for the Southern Area region predict a rise in the number of people over 65, to 80,000 by 2011. At the same time the number of dependant older people is expected to rise. There are 307 patients cared for in the 5 Community Hospitals in West Cork. Bantry General Hospital provides for extra patients in long-term care.
An arts-for-health pilot project was implemented in Skibbereen Community Hospital in 2002 as a result of the Southern Health Board’s (SHB) Ageing with Confidence Strategy, a blueprint for the development of services to improve the health and quality of life of older people. A partnership was set up between the Health Promotion Department, SHB and the West Cork Arts Centre and a 10-week visual arts programme for older people resident in a rural hospital was implemented. The project was evaluated and a report written. Two recommendations were made and the preferred option was to employ an artist to facilitate workshops rather than release staff to train as facilitators of arts practice.
Today it is widely recognised that participation in arts activities contributes to health and well-being. Research from many different parts of the world demonstrates the crucial importance for older people of maintaining a connected social network and the need for stimulating, challenging creative activity to combat cognitive decline, poor health and even premature mortality. Experience and research gained in healthcare centres in many parts of the world also demonstrate that arts in healthcare programmes can be cost-effective in reducing demand on medical resources and infrastructure.
The purpose and aim of introducing the arts into health care settings is first and foremost for the benefit of the users of the hospital. The findings from the pilot project, while specific to the pilot site and a project of short duration, would seem to be supported by findings from other projects both nationally and internationally. Many of the potential benefits of arts in healthcare are outlined in the Arts Council’s publication, The Arts & Health Handbook. The decision to implement a one-year action research project was made in order to follow on from the pilot outlined above and answer further questions while implementing a programme of longer duration.
In May 2005, the one-year arts programme and action research project was implemented in the 5 Community Hospitals in the West Cork region, Skibbereen, Schull, Dunmanway, Clonakilty and Castletownbere. It examined the feasibility of supporting access to and engagement with the arts for older people in this context through having a dedicated post administered by West Cork Arts Centre and supported by an Advisory Committee. The programme was evaluated by an external evaluator to examine the effects on the participants of involvement in a long-term developmental arts programme.
The evaluation Conversations in Colour was published in May 2007 and can be obtained through West Cork Arts Centre.
The make-up of the Advisory Committee demonstrates the commitment of locally-based arts / health / education and community-based organisations to this programme and includes Ian McDonagh (Cork County Arts Officer), Vincent Ahern (Director, West Cork Adult Education Service), Pat O'Mahony (Matron: Skibbereen Community Hospital), Justine Foster (Education and Community Co-ordinator, WCAC) Ann Davoren (Director, WCAC), Violet Hayes, West Cork Director of Public Nursing.
The Arts for Health partnership (WCAC, CCC, HSESA, WCAES, WCCH) continues its work on developing policy and supporting the implementation of an appropriate, developmental and quality Arts Programme in the 5 Community Hospitals and Bantry General Hospital, based on the findings of the research.
Conversations In Colour is a compilation based on the collaboration of three artist facilitators working with residents in five local area hospitals.
For an online presentation of our Conversations in Colour book, please click here; you can also print and download the PDF there.
The Arts for Health programme in Community Hospitals with artists Sharon Dipity, Julia Pallone, Anne Harrington Rees, Sarah O'Brien and Sarah Ruttle is expanding and will be implementing an action research project in five regional Day Care Centres to July 2010.
To get some further information, please have a look at our partners' websites:
