This book offers an extensive range of ideas and practical developing service users' creativity including songmaking, drama, dance, creative writing, music, video and visual arts. It promotes innovation and encourages a fresh and enthusiastic approach to care that will appeal to anyone with a love of creative arts as a means of expression. The wide-ranging approach encompasses many different voices from patients, artists and healthcare professionals. "Creative Engagement in Palliative Care" is highly recommended for all palliative health and social care professionals and volunteers, including occupational therapists, and art and music therapists. It is a wonderful resource for health and social care educators, teachers and trainers and will be a immense source of inspiration for patients and their families.'This book is about user involvement. It is concerned with sharing knowledge and experience about user involvement in palliative care and making it more real for the future. In modern times, the importance of 'end of life care' was highlighted by the pioneers of the voluntary hospice movement. They emphasised the importance of palliative care being based on an holistic approach that took account of all aspects of people's lives and deaths; medical, social, spiritual and material. More recently the work of the independent hospice movement has been complemented by the development and expansion of specialist palliative care in state provision. The aim has been to enable people to be able to 'do it their way' with a real sense of control and to be able to communicate their unique words, voices and experience. This is and will always be a key potential of user involvement.' - Suzy Croft and Peter Beresford, in the Preface.

This book offers an extensive range of ideas and practical developing service users' creativity including songmaking, drama, dance, creative writing, music, video and visual arts. It promotes innovation and encourages a fresh and enthusiastic approach to care that will appeal to anyone with a love of creative arts as a means of expression. The wide-ranging approach encompasses many different voices from patients, artists and healthcare professionals. "Creative Engagement in Palliative Care" is highly recommended for all palliative health and social care professionals and volunteers, including occupational therapists, and art and music therapists. It is a wonderful resource for health and social care educators, teachers and trainers and will be a immense source of inspiration for patients and their families.'This book is about user involvement. It is concerned with sharing knowledge and experience about user involvement in palliative care and making it more real for the future. In modern times, the importance of 'end of life care' was highlighted by the pioneers of the voluntary hospice movement. They emphasised the importance of palliative care being based on an holistic approach that took account of all aspects of people's lives and deaths; medical, social, spiritual and material. More recently the work of the independent hospice movement has been complemented by the development and expansion of specialist palliative care in state provision. The aim has been to enable people to be able to 'do it their way' with a real sense of control and to be able to communicate their unique words, voices and experience. This is and will always be a key potential of user involvement.' - Suzy Croft and Peter Beresford, in the Preface.

Use of the arts in palliative care settings is a powerful and effective way of addressing the practical, psychological, social and spiritual issues faced by service users in end-of-life care. The Creative Arts in Palliative Care uncovers the possibilities for using the creative arts and provides guidance on how to implement arts projects successfully. Part 1 focuses on designing objectives for the creative arts in palliative care - such as self-fulfilment, social participation, diversion from pain and other common symptoms - and managing creative arts services. Part 2 demonstrates the theory and principles in practice, with detailed case studies: each chapter draws on a real-life project, the approaches it employed and the outcomes achieved. This book will be essential reading for healthcare professionals, arts practitioners and all those involved in providing palliative care services.

This book provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the practice and results of art therapy in palliative care. It includes first-hand accounts from both therapists and clients in a variety of palliative care settings including:- * hospices and hospitals * patients own homes * prisons (AIDS patients) * adolescent griefwork groups These case studies include examples of client art work and illustrate clearly how art therapy can allow patients to regain feelings of control over their lives.

A MacArthur Genius Grant recipient pioneers a radical change in how we interact with older loved ones, especially those experiencing dementia, as she introduces a proven method that uses the creative arts to bring light and joy to the lives of elders. In Creative Care, Anne Basting lays the groundwork for a widespread transformation in our approach to elder care and uses compelling, touching stories to inspire and guide us all—family, friends, and health professionals—in how to connect and interact with those living with dementia. A MacArthur Genius Grant recipient, Basting tells the story of how she pioneered a radical change in how we interact with our older loved ones. Now used around the world, this proven method has brought light and joy to the lives of elders—and those who care for them. Here, for the first time, everyone can learn these methods. Early in her career, Basting noticed a problem: today’s elderly—especially those experiencing dementia and Alzheimer’s— are often isolated in nursing homes or segregated in elder-care settings, making the final years of life feel lonely and devoid of meaning. To alleviate their sense of aloneness, Basting developed a radical approach that combines methods from the world of theater and improvisation with evidence-based therapies that connect people using their own creativity and imagination. Rooted in twenty-five years of research, these new techniques draw on core creative exercises—such as “Yes, and . . .” and “Beautiful Questions.” This approach fosters storytelling and active listening, allowing elders to freely share ideas and stories without worrying about getting the details “correct.” Basting’s research has shown that these practices stimulate the brain and awaken the imagination to add wonder and awe to patients’ daily lives—and provide them a means of connection, both with the world and with those caring for them. Creative Care promises to bring light and hope to a community that needs it most.

Over the past few decades, the use of the arts in health has burgeoned. What, for many centuries, was seen as a fringe activity is now being recognised as a field that has enormous potential for impacting positively on both individuals and societies. However, despite this surge in interest and activity, there is still limited support available for people working in the field. Although the number of practical training courses for artists is growing and more universities are establishing research groups, most training activity occurs in either practice or research; there are relatively few opportunities to gain parallel experience in both. Arts in Health: Designing and Researching Interventions provides a complete overview of how to go about undertaking research and practice in the field of arts in health. It starts by exploring the context for arts in health interventions, including the history of the use of arts in health and the theoretical and political developments that have laid the foundations for its flourishing. It also considers what 'arts in health' encompasses and the range of disciplines involved. Part II examines how to design an arts in health intervention, develop partnerships and find funding and considers the sensitivities around working in healthcare. Part III considers the value of research for the field of arts in health and how to design and undertake a research project. Finally, part IV provides a fact file of arts in health research and practice, showing how the arts can be applied and the benefits they can bring across a range of medical disciplines. The book will be valuable for researchers, practitioners, healthcare professionals and those interested in learning more about the field.