Around two and a half years ago, local artist Ruth Bateman spotted an appeal from Heanton Nursing Home inviting local artists to share their creativity with the people who live there.
She responded, bringing along her ideas and materials for what would become the first of many art workshops. More than two years later, she is still a familiar face at Heanton, arriving with paints, pencils and a new idea for what they might create together.
“I remember thinking how rewarding this would be and to offer something to those who may otherwise not have the opportunity to do artistic projects and pursuits,” she said.
Since then, the tables at Heanton Nursing Home have been covered with everything from paint and coloured pencils to pebbles, wire and materials for wall hangings. No two sessions need to look the same. Ruth usually arrives with a mini-project inspired by the season or something happening that month, whether that is Halloween, Remembrance Sunday or Christmas. But alongside the main idea are always other materials and other choices.
If somebody wants to follow the project, they can. If they would rather do something different, they can do that too. And sometimes putting coloured pencil to paper is enough. “There is never any pressure to do anything,” she explained. “Fundamentally, it’s about providing an opportunity for everyone.”
That flexibility is particularly valuable at Heanton because every family member is different. For those living with a Dementia, having the freedom to engage in their own way means the focus remains on the person, rather than on completing a particular activity.
Ruth thinks carefully about how each project can be adapted, with different ways to take part depending on the person. She also considers movement and multisensory elements and uses gentle conversation and prompts where these can support somebody to engage with what is happening around them.
For her, art is particularly suited to this because there is no single right way to take part. “Art can involve everyone regardless of skill level or background,” she said. “It truly has no limitations or barriers to entry.”
And while there is usually plenty to display by the end of a session, Ruth says what happens while everyone is creating can be just as important as what is eventually made. There have been sessions filled with conversation and others where people have started singing while they work.
She has seen residents (who the home fondly refers to as family members) become absorbed in what they are doing, work through creative problems and make their own choices about what comes next. “I think everyone who takes part gains a little something from the activities,” she said. “I have seen definite mood changes and positive changes in their energy and outlook.”
One of the things she particularly enjoys is seeing family members and team members creating alongside one another. “I love seeing the rapport between the family members and their carers, it’s quite special,” she said. “We have had some lovely sessions of laughing and singing alongside making.”
Art has been part of Ruth’s own life since she was very young, although her route to becoming a professional artist was far from conventional. Largely self-taught, she decided to pursue art professionally in her early thirties following a varied career that included mountain leadership, running a King’s Trust programme and working as a Special Educational Needs Teaching Assistant.
She now has a studio at Krowji in Redruth, where she creates large contemporary paintings and is currently working on a project incorporating installation and audio.
But every time she returns to Heanton, her focus shifts from her own work to what can be created together. And whether ten family members gather around the table or just one person decides to spend some time making something with her, Ruth says the number has never been what matters.
“Just being there, giving opportunity, choice and accessibility is partly why I want to do this,” she said. “Every mark they make in my eyes is a success. It’s not the outcome necessarily, but the process and the act of trying.”
Two and a half years on from that first visit, the paints and pencils may change with each workshop, but Ruth returning to create alongside family members has become a familiar and much-loved part of life at Heanton.
For more information about Heanton Nursing Home activities please visit Activities in Care – Heanton Nursing Home
