Older people dance their cares away

London-based arts charity, Create has held nearly six thousand creative arts workshops in the decade since it was founded, so has unparalleled experience of motivating and encouraging people to express themselves creatively through art, writing and dance mainly as part of sustained programmes.

As part of its cross-arts Creativity:revealed programme, it recently ran a series of creative dance workshops, led by professional dancer Rachel Drazek, and attended by older people who visit Jewish Care’s day-care centre and other care services in Golders Green, north London. These workshops bring together older people with dementia, learning difficulties, and varying physical abilities to improve their well-being, provide creative stimulation and develop friendships - in short, enhance their quality of life.

Create has been working with this group of older people since April, providing them with photography, creative writing and sculpture workshops, all led by professional artists and culminating in the dance workshop and a performance of a dance that they have collectively choreographed.

Reclaiming independence

Chief executive and co-founder of Create, Nicky Goulder, comments: “Older people have so much to gain from taking part in creative activities and it has been wonderful to see how this group has worked together to create such outstanding work in the creativity:revealed programme.

“Many older people lose their independence and the ability to make decisions, so we’re using creative arts activities to enable these participants to reclaim some of that independence.

“Throughout the programme, they have explored the theme of ‘unity’ and what it means to be unified. A sense of resilience and strength of character has run through each artistic strand as they explored their shared history and enjoyed the sense of community that the arts can inspire.

“In the ten years that Create has been providing creative programmes for older people, we have found that the opportunity to engage and socialise with other people has been most valuable to them. Collaborating in arts projects provides an excellent opportunity for them to come together and expand their friendship circles and support networks. It also enables them to build skills, confidence and a sense of self-worth.”

Dance can bring a range of benefits that day centre attendees (and also care home residents, for that matter) can benefit from, including improved cognitive functioning, enjoyment of life, enhanced memory and creative thinking, as well as cardio-vascular stimulation.

'It’s like a dose of medicine'

Ethel, aged 85, is a regular attendee of Michael Sobell Jewish Community Centre’s day care services and took part in the whole Create project. She lives alone in London and can go for days without speaking to another person. She says: “During the workshops, I had the pleasure of meeting lots of new people. I made new friends and had a good laugh. Together, we explored different forms of movement. Even if you were just holding hands with someone, there was a lot of warmth. It made me feel happy and relaxed.

“The dance sessions were quite different to what I expected; they were very free, unconventional and not rigid in their structure. The last time I danced was 20 years ago and in those days you had to dance ‘properly’ and ‘correctly’. Here it doesn’t matter if you don’t know the steps, you just respond to the music and to the other people.

“I think that dancing has had a really positive impact on my daily life. It relaxes me and it’s something to look forward to every week. I’ve met different people, joined other groups and mixed with other services at Sobell. And they’ve helped me to become more tolerant and understanding; now I can see the other side of the coin – what other people are able to do and what I’m able to do.

"I’m devastated that the workshops are coming to an end. I can’t think of a stronger word. It’s like a dose of medicine, and I look forward to more Create projects in the future!”

Create provides programmes for vulnerable people across the UK and it welcomes collaborations with care providers, outreach centres and other potential community partners. To get in contact go to info@createarts.org.uk or 020 7374 8485.