This is me! Using the arts to engage with older people

Healthwatch Wiltshire won a grant from the Wiltshire Council Arts and Health Innovation Fund in September 2014. The grant was for a project to help us discover older peoples’ experiences of using health and social care, or of caring for someone who does. Healthwatch Wiltshire invited the Wiltshire and Swindon Users’ Network to work alongside us on the project. They commissioned Elevate, an Arts and Health organisation in Wiltshire. Elevate used tea parties both in the community and in people’s own homes to encourage individuals to have their say. The tea parties included vintage china, home-made cake and live music, served by hostesses in 1950s costumes. The parties took place across Wiltshire between July and October 2015.

During the tea parties, Elevate used its skilled artists to create an informal and fun environment where people could relax and enjoy themselves. This provided the chance to have conversations over a cuppa through which Helathwatch could ask older people, and their unpaid carers, about their experiences of using health and social care. 

There were six main themes that came out of all the conversations with older people and their unpaid carers: 

•  People who have had a stay in hospital and then come home said that often the communication between different services isn’t good enough. This can result in confusion and things not happening as promised. 
• Looking after a relative, spouse, or friend is rewarding but tough work. Unpaid carers provide a hugely valuable service and they need support to carry on with their role. 
• People who fund their own social care can feel ignored and struggle to get the information and support they need to organise and pay for their own care. 
• People who use care at home (domiciliary care) want it to be ‘person centred’. Ideally that means having the same staff coming to care for them and coming at set times which suit the person. Good communication with the Care Agency office is crucial. 
•  Transport is a big issue in parts of rural Wiltshire. Getting to hospital and back home can be costly and difficult. 
• It was clear how important both reliable social connections and the opportunity to participate in meaningful activities are for older people.