“The most beautiful thing we can experience
is the mysterious.” ……………… “To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advance in art and science.” Albert Einstein
Bringing the arts, SCIENCE and health together to change worlds
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rts Health Institute is a national social enterprise with international affiliations.
We are leading the cause to bring humanity and wellbeing into healthcare through our shared and deep connection to the arts. We are a collaboration of professional nurses, artists, researchers, educators, doctors, performers, policy makers and leaders translating research knowledge into practice. Together we are creating positive change in health and ageing. Please join our cause.
Dr. Maggie Haertsch, CEO
The power of the arts “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.” Helen Keller
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he arts define our human condition. They tell the story of our lives, make us laugh and cry, give us deep personal meaning and connection with each other. It’s the music and words, the conversations, the laughter and play, beauty, movement,
performance and ideas that spark our imagination and lift our spirit. Add the arts to good clinical care and the results can be world changing for individuals, families, care professionals and even workplaces themselves.
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ince 2011, Arts Health Institute has been developing and implementing
ground breaking programs and experiences that are helping thousands of Australians to live well as their years continue to advance. We also open a new world of opportunities for creative industries to partner with health and research professionals to deliver significant health outcomes. Creative engagement is our difference. Research is our measure. Impact is our goal.
CREATIVE FORCE
Arts in Health Framework leading positive change.
There is a growing body of research that demonstrates important therapeutic benefits when combining the arts into health care. Painting / Drawing Design
Fiction
Sculpture
Non Fiction
Photography
Poetry
Visual Arts
Literature
Play / Script Writing
Installation Animation
Libretto
Architecture
Disability Paediatrics
Community
General Practice
Palliative
Film
HEALTH Specialist Clinics
Classical Heritage
Music
Gaming
Hospitals
Mental Health
Graphic Art
Digital
Aged Care Rehab
Contemporary
Web Design
Ambient
Social Media
Commercial
Music
Performing Arts Mime / Circus
Theatre Music
Š Arts Health Institute, 2016.
Singing
Dance
Opera Š Arts Health Institute, 2013.
Arts Health Institute brings arts and health professionals together to change worlds Our aim. We are working to improve lives through the integration of the arts into all aspects of health and aged care. Our work is underpinned by research and these arts experiences aim to have a therapeutic impact and improve healthcare organisational effectiveness.
We implement research findings and scale quality programs to enable national access. Design or licence.
Our model.
We creatively design new interventions or licence existing programs that are innovative and effective. The introduction of Music & Memory and ASCOT Quality of Life Measurement are exciting examples of the licencing model in action.
We have a suite of artistic offerings that we curate based on the needs of each client group. This curation can involve a “turn-key” approach, matching problems with creative solutions.
Arts Health Institute’s business model ensures our programs are outcomes focused, based on evidence, scalable, quality controlled and sustainable.
PLAY UP “One resident who sat quietly and hardly spoke blossomed, starting slowly with one or two words. It wasn’t long before she was greeting the Valet and exchanging conversation.” L i n d a T ay l o r B l u e C a r e – G e n e r a l M a n ag e r South C oa s t , Q u e e n s l a n d
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n residential aged care, dementia affects over 70% of elders.
Our Play Up Valets are professional artists with special skills using humour to engage creatively and meaningfully with residents and staff. This much loved intervention translates knowledge generated by the SMILE study (Low, et al., 2013) into practice, reaching thousands every week from our cities to outback country towns. Play Up Valets deliver over 1200 direct interventions each week. This indirectly benefits a further 3750 people each week. Play Up evaluation. Medication records of 323 individuals living in 27 aged care facilities were reviewed following 12 weeks on Play Up.
The review revealed significant reductions in the required use of pro-re-nata (PRN) medications:
– Antipsychotic medications reduced by 67% – B enzodiazepine medications reduced by 93% Impact: – – – – –
Reduces depression, agitation and isolation. Reduces need for antipsychotic medication. Reduces number of falls. Elders and staff are happier and more energised. Boosts workplace morale, reducing staff sick leave and turnover. – Helps facilities meet accreditation standards.
Knowledge translation Arts Health Institute works collaboratively to facilitate knowledge translation. This enables the dissemination, implementation, evaluation and impact of research evidence to provide creative, sustainable solutions to health concerns.
“A good sense of humour helps us in many ways. It helps us understand the unorthodox, tolerate the unpleasant, overcome the unexpected and survive the unbearable.” G e n e B r ow n – A utho r
MUSIC & MEMORY “Personalised music is no cure but it may well be the best therapy currently available to millions living with dementia, depression and loneliness. It can relieve boredom, empower choice, enable memory and provide avenues for genuine communication with loved ones and caregivers.” M u s i c & M e mo r y – U S A
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eveloped by Dan Cohen in the USA, Music & Memory is a systematic way to provide personalised playlists of beloved music. It is so simple, yet so effective. Using inexpensive and readily available technology, Music & Memory is now exclusively delivered in Australia by Arts Health Institute. The program includes structured education and training to support organisation wide implementation.
Impact: – – – –
Reduces depression, anxiety, even pain. Helps awaken the mind and restore identity. Participants are happier, calmer and more social. Reconnects individuals with caregivers, family and friends. – Reduces the need for psychotropic medications. – Increases awareness, engagement and cognition.
SING OUT LOUD “We have a resident who had a stroke and does not speak. But when he’s in the choir, he sings. It’s almost miraculous.” F i o n a K e n d a l l – Sca l a b r i n i V i l l ag e M a n ag e r
ing Out Loud uses the unique power of music and human connection to bring elders together to reduce isolation, depression and anxiety.
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Sing Out Loud is cost effective and available nationally in residential aged care, retirement villages and community settings.
It is much more than a ‘music program’. Our trained maestros carefully curate a songlist of favourites from the past and use cheeky humour to spark conversations, laughter, percussion, friendships, poetry and story telling. Sing Out Loud Together brings children into the mix, taking it even further.
Impact: – Reduces agitation and aggression. – Enhances cognitive abilities for elders with and without dementia. – Fosters social interaction and self expression. – Reduces status divide between carer and elder.
ARTISTS IN THE HOUSE “They get us doing things we never dreamed we could do before: the art work, our imaginations are fired, our real stories are brought out with a new perspective: we are dancing again.” Resident – Aged Care
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he major issue for older people and those living with dementia is loneliness and disengagement. The arts have the unique power to allow self-expression that can boost selfesteem and offer a sense of fulfillment. Creative mediums such as visual art, music, theatre, dance, literature and singing can connect us with our core identity and with others around us. People can rekindle old talents or find a new one while creatively celebrating their life lived and unfolding. Whatever the individual’s personal preference, Artists in the House aims to build purpose and social connection and lift mood through positive creative experiences. Quality and choice. Artists in the House is delivered by professional artists with specialist skills in residential aged care, dementia and working with elders in the community. It is meeting the demand for choice and supports Consumer Directed Care.
Explore new revenue streams. We work collaboratively to provide innovative solutions that add value to your organisation. Our arts experiences are specifically designed to achieve higher quality of life for your clients while also offering the potential for new revenue streams and stronger organisational health. Talk to Arts Health Institute about introducing fee for service options.
ARTISTS IN THE HOUSE These engaging art workshops are for people with all abilities. Word Power. The wonder of writing. Enjoy the company of others while exploring loved literature in a reading or poetry group. The experience includes literature and poetry appreciation, as well as expressive writing and memoir writing. We think you can Dance. On your feet or in your seat. Move to the music under the guidance of specialist Dance Captains with all styles of dancing. Great for mobility and being social, dancing or just enjoy watching. If you’ve got it we will find a way for you to use it! Access to Express. Draw, create or apreciate. Participants use a variety of media to create their own artwork – from sculpture to painting and photography – in individual or group sessions. Another option is to be inspired by the work of others in an art appreciation circle.
Valet Visits. Playful interactions. Personally engage with individuals in a playful way that kick-starts conversations, stories and connection with positive memories. A powerful energiser that reduces agitation and depression for people who are isolated or with dementia. Theatre of Life. Discover the stage of fun. People come together to explore role-play and the magic of theatre. A variety of experiences include radio plays, play readings, theatre exercises, improvisation, poetry reading and narrative theatre. Sing Out Loud. Join in and sing with others. A talented Maestro encourages everyone to find their voice and have fun singing old and new songs. Sing Out Loud brings people together to socialise, sing, listen, remember and share stories evoked by favourite songs from the past.
ADVISORY SERVICES Our advisory services provide independent measurement of elders’ quality of life, social needs and opportunities to support optional revenue streams in aged care.
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s a third party working within your services, we can provide insights into workforce wellbeing, workforce redesign and development, cultural change and the development of community integrated models of service provision. Our focus is to help services to sustainably increase meaningful experiences for their clients supporting a social model of service. We also work in the acute health system and can advise on scaleable strategic initiatives that integrate the arts into clinical service delivery improving the patient journey, workforce wellbeing and efficiencies. Cultural Curation Cultural Curation & Engagement Consultancy is a multi-stage service that aims to improve meaningful life experiences within residential aged care. In partnership with the service provider, we identify individual psycho-social needs and curate a range of experiences that connect people with people and promote joy, compassion and happiness.
Using a combination of the arts our strategies are guided by accreditation standards and refined through evaluation. Impact: – – – – –
Improves wellbeing for elders, carers and families. Positive end of life experience. Improves staff morale and reduced turnover. Greater community volunteer involvement. Support in meeting accreditation standards.
RESEARCH “It’s (Arts Health Institute) based on good research, and it’s not instead of good care. It respects the need for good clinical care, good medication. It then takes us into a different domain of a celebration of life, through art and expression and performance, and it adds a flavour and a dimension that just good clinical care on its own can’t provide.” N i ck R ya n – C E O – A u s t r a l i a n A g e d C a r e Q ua l i t y A g e n c y
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ur team includes researchers and we regularly collaborate with national research institutes and universities. Together we strive to understand how arts as an intervention can support health care delivery and create positive change in people’s lives.
We partner with academics and researchers from Western Sydney University, University of New South Wales, the University of Sydney and the Australian Catholic University. PhD candidates and undergraduate health science students are supported through our programs.
ARTS HEALTH ACADEMY “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I will learn.� B e n j am i n F r a n k l i n
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rts in health care is a growing international movement and Arts Health Academy has been established as a unique educational and training facility to help lead this change.
The entertaining courses are designed to fit into busy work schedules, meet specific objectives and impart new skills and insights.
Develop your creativity at work: Engaging with elders.
Curated courses for health, arts and aged care professionals.
The art of playful engagement in health care: Finding your inner fool. Humour and empathy are the most powerful forms of human connection. Discover your playful self and how to connect and encourage other people’s unique senses of humour. Learn strategies ‘outside the box’ to strengthen relationships in a healthcare setting. Understanding the power of music for people living with dementia. Learn the research and science behind the power of music on the brain, its effect on neural pathways, and its impact on people living with dementia. Beloved music can bring back memories, reduce anxiety and pain, and actually increase their awareness and connection.
Use imaginative play to connect with elders and help meet realistic expectations. Learn how to stimulate interesting ideas and problemsolve different situations, for incursions and excursions with elders of varying personalities and abilities. Curating social goals in community and residential care settings. Investigate ways of connecting with and better understanding the people you regularly care for. Creating individual experiences is essential to attaining social goals. Learn how to avoid a onesize fits approach and become the world’s best social-companion.
The art of puppetry in dementia care. A puppet can encourage communication from a person living with dementia where people may not. A puppet can go places and cross the void. Learn how to make and manipulate puppets, understand storytelling and how puppetry skills increase empathy and communication.
ARTS HEALTH ACADEMY ASCOT. Quality of life measurement.
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n a first for Australia, ASCOT training courses are being made available through Arts Health Institute as a part of developing an Australian arm to the international ASCOT network.
ADULT SOCIAL CARE OUTCOMES TOOLKIT (ASCOT) TRAINING Introduction to ascot. The aim of this one-day interactive course is to provide people who are interested in using ASCOT with an understanding of both the conceptual basis of the measure and the different ways ASCOT can be used in research and evaluation. Course length: One day.
Specific ascot mixed methods (ch3) for residential aged care. This is a two-day course (with an option for a third supervised practice day), with practical sessions, which aims to equip people with the skills and confidence necessary to use the ASCOT CH3 tool in residential aged care facilities. Course length: Two days, three day option available.
ABOUT ASCOT
TAILORED SOLUTIONS
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SCOT is an internationally recognised instrument designed to measure the aspects of an individual’s quality of life that can be affected by social care. We call this ‘social care related quality of life’ (SCRQoL). Developed in the UK over a decade ago by the the Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU) at the University of Kent, the toolkit can be used across a wide range of service user groups and social care support settings, including residential and community care. It tells us how well individuals are faring across eight areas, and which areas make the most difference to their quality of life. – – – – – – – –
ontrol over daily life. C Personal cleanliness and comfort. Food and drink. Personal safety. Social participation and involvement. Occupation. Accommodation cleanliness and comfort. Dignity.
This holds significant meaning and opportunities for aged care providers in Australia striving to implement a greater focus on quality of living, provide individualised care, meet accreditation standards, move towards Consumer Directed Care and become a stand out service provider of choice.
Bespoke training and speakers available.
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s well as our scheduled courses we can create a workshop or education program to suit your needs. – Workshops for health and aged care organisations. – Education programs for organisations implementing Arts Health Institute programs. – Education programs for artists. – Carers workshops and community programs. We are also available to speak at special events such as conferences and corporate functions.
Arts Health Institute is a national organisation delivering world leading programs with breakthrough results. We bring the arts and health together to change worlds.
Our values: Innovation, Mastery, Collaboration, Generosity, Integrity, Engagement and Enthusiasm.
Phone: +61 (0)2 8354 1953 Email: ahi@artshealthinstitute.org.au Website: www.artshealthinstitute.org.au 246 Forbes Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010 Australia. PO Box 601, Darlinghurst NSW 1300 Australia. Arts Health Institute is a registered charity. ACN 151 675 133