I was recently lucky enough to be commissioned to run a writing for wellbeing project in a local care home- and not just any old care home. This is the poshest, friendliest, swankiest care home I have ever seen.
They have a bar, a brasserie, a café, a salon, a library, a cinema, and an ever-rotating schedule of activities, entertainment and outings on offer for their residents. It is like a five-star hotel, with all-inclusive meals and excursions. They even serve sherry at lunch time! The Poetry Project I was commissioned to run is part of the new approach their Events and Business Development Manager is taking to introduce more creative activities and to encourage more engagement with the local community. There will be a different creative project each month, each led by a local artist, and I hope to be invited back again in the future… Mostly, the residents just enjoyed listening to me read a poem, as there is an immense power in just hearing the words out loud, and being read to can be extremely soothing. But one thing our elders have going for them is their ability, and indeed willingness, to tell stories. The responses triggered by a poem or other prompt seemed random at first, but they often made sense when I knew the back story of the person I was speaking with. For example, the repetition of certain words or phrases may have seemed out of context with the subject at hand, but then a staff member would point out that the word ‘grandad’ from the poem I had just read, reminded the participant of their own grandfather, who liked to cycle, hence the repetition of the phrase ‘a bicycle made for two.’ The participant had free associated from ‘grandad’ to ‘bicycle’, to the lyrics of a song she recalled hearing in childhood. And therein lies the poetic gold; the abstract thinking creating a tangible memory based on the sense of sound. During our final session, one lady was recalling her experience of being evacuated during the war, and was repeating the same details she had previously shared with me, which had then been included in the group poem. I thanked her for her memories, and said I had a poem that reminded me of what she had just told me. I read her the poem she had contributed to the week before, and she was stunned to hear her own words repeated back to her as a poem, despite the fact that she couldn’t remember having spoken them before! The older generation also seem to be less inhibited than the rest of us. Although they may still have some anxieties over not being ‘clever enough’ or thinking they need to ‘be a writer’ to take part in the sessions, they are usually less anxious about speaking in front of their peers than other age groups. Care homes are becoming more and more eager to provide a wide variety of activities, outings and entertainment for their residents, so there is bound to be something for everyone. The most important thing I have learnt about working as a writer in a care home is that, just being there is often enough. Sometimes residents just appreciate a new face, someone to talk to, to tell their stories to; someone to acknowledge their existence. Just by giving them your time, attention, kindness, respect and encouragement, you are improving their wellbeing. If you can soothe them with the sound of your voice reading to them, or use their words to craft a poem from their shared experiences, then that’s just an added bonus. And if all else fails? I’ve discovered that a nice cup of tea usually does the trick!
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There are things I want to write about but don't know how to start. And ideas for growing The Pocket Poet 'business' that I'm not sure I have the capacity for. So I thought I would practice what I preach and just start writing and see if that helps. And if I get a blog post out of it, and show you how this reflective writing thing works in the process, then even better!
Things that are ACTUALLY happening:
Ideas I've got in the pipeline of my mind or have put out proposals for:
And some ideas for the longer term:
So now I feel exhausted but it's amazing to see it in black and white how much I have already achieved and am possibly yet to achieve quite soon. And although there is a long way to go, at least I have captured my intentions to refer back to when I am in the right place to move forward with the next step. |
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