This second in our series of blogs takes a look at two projects set to undertake the crucial work of fostering wellbeing through creativity in the realms of end-of-life care, grief, bereavement and isolation via training, collaboration and artistic activities.

Mayo Roscommon: Care & Creativity in Context – Roscommon County Council in partnership with Mayo County Council
 

This project aims to build capacity and deliver training in end-of-life care knowledge, grief support and bereavement for artists, facilitators, project leads and healthcare personnel in Mayo and Roscommon, supporting reach amongst the wider community in these areas. This will develop into more focused training / mentoring with the Irish Hospice Foundation Arts and Cultural Engagement Team to inform and engage artists who are interested in working in this field.
The initiative will bring artists and creatives into care settings for residencies, in particular end-of-life care contexts, with Mayo Roscommon Hospice Units and Palliative Care, as well as with older people in nursing homes, where they will develop relationships and practices. 

For those living in their own homes, the project will draw on the learnings of the Hearth project, led by artist Breda Mayock, where art is brought to older people who are isolated geographically, or restricted for other reasons. 

The overall goal is to help support positive mental health, promote positive ageing, support people to manage their health and wellbeing while living with a chronic disease, and assist in acute and end-of-life care.
Collaborative capacity building and the sharing of experience is at the heart of the initiative, with Mayo and Roscommon County Councils, Healthy Ireland, the Irish Hospice Foundation and the HSE all working together on its delivery, and the development of the Mayo Hearth Programme and Roscommon HSE Nursing Home Artist in Residence Programme via a knowledge exchange programme with artists.
2024 will see the initial stages of the training and residencies take place. The focus in 2025 will be to continue the residencies and create an evaluation publication to support the dissemination of learnings and practices. 

Exploring Loss and Grief: Healing Through Art with the Compassionate Support of a Hospice Foundation – Cork City Council 

This community arts project aims to address isolation and foster connection through two distinct, yet interwoven strands. Firstly, a Friendly Call Programme will engage those isolated since the pandemic in tailored artistic activities designed to spark creativity and provide meaningful social interaction. This part of the initiative hopes to offer solace and support as the challenges of re-emergence post-COVID are navigated. The second element of the project will bridge generations with collaborative creative projects between active retired groups and fifth-class students.  

To support those delivering the programme, arts and grief work training will be provided to project leads, collaborators and community leaders with additional bereavement network training for project leads. Specific training will also be available to creative leads and facilitation teams on arts and grief, grief theory, and public models of bereavement. 

The project outcomes will include artistic works produced by participants, the capturing of personal experiences and stories related to grief and loss, and case studies measuring the impact on participants’ understanding and processing of grief. Overall, the initiative aims to foster enhanced social interaction and connection for isolated individuals, facilitate creative expression, strengthen intergenerational relationships and community bonds, foster empathy and promote individual and collective wellbeing. 

The initiative will see the participation of local schools, healthcare providers, and community organisations in the project activities, and is underpinned by a proven history of partnership, collaboration, and interagency work. It fosters collaboration between the Arts, Community, Healthy Ireland, Age Friendly, and Sláintecare teams within Cork City Council, and the Irish Hospice Foundation, HSE South West and Cork City Partnership. 

It is envisaged that training will take place in 2024, after which time the trained artists and practitioners will deliver the facilitated creative workshops with those identified through the Friendly Call Programme, and the primary school students and retired groups. It is planned for these to be rolled out in early 2025.