Who: Older people living in a care home with Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease
Where: Glain House, Adamsdown, Cardiff
Background
Marissa the Activities Co-ordinator for Glain House contacted NFS and we agreed that we would run weekly chair based Circus sessions with their residents as part of our free to access circus programme.
The Circus Sessions
For over 6 months NFS delivered one-hour, weekly sessions at the care home ran by our Inclusive Circus Arts Trainers (ICATs). Working in a team of 3 they worked with up to 30 residents per session adapting circus kit like peacock feathers, juggling scarves, balls, hoops + plates, to provide sensory manipulation activities. They also sung songs and spent time engaging with each resident, getting to know their names and listening to their stories.
Feedback from Activities Co-ordinator
“The residents come alive each week that you come in, they smile and laugh and even giggle”
Marissa said that residents who didn’t engage in any other activity within the home engaged in the Circus sessions. During the sessions there was also no bickering or falling out between the residents as they were having so much fun!
She was also amazed at what the residents could do, some even managed to spin two plates at once, she said those that were able to looked forward to the sessions each week.
One of the ICAT trainers speaks Welsh, which is one of the new residents first language, so she spent time talking with the resident and she opened up and really enjoyed talking with the trainer in her own language!
The care staff at the home also enjoyed joining in with the circus and have seen both the emotional and physical benefit that circus brings to their residents.
Marissa especially remarked on the personal relationship that each ICAT developed with the residents greeting them each week by name and saying goodbye personally at the end of the sessions, this care and attention to the humanity of the residents was especially important to the care home staff and residents.