An artist has been working with residents at a care village in Didsbury on an innovative autumn-inspired art activity, designed to help keep spirits high as lockdown restrictions continue.
Working with leaf stencils and edible paint, the residents of Belong Morris Feinmann on Palatine Road, have been applying their artistic flair to produce individual biscuit designs reflecting the change in season. The initiative, which was the brainchild of artist Chava Erlanger and is supported by local charity Forever Manchester, saw participants delight in decorating and sampling the creative confectionery.
Speaking of this, Chava, who runs creative outreach charity Community Arts, said: “Art is a key tool to help people through life’s biggest challenges and, with COVID-19 being one of the toughest many of us will face, my hope is that this activity will bring joy and alleviate fears and anxieties around the current situation.”
Resident Mindel Rose agreed, adding: “The art sessions have provided us with a way to express ourselves during this period of uncertainty, as well as promoting a real sense of fun at the village. We are really grateful for the help of our friends in the community and look forward to getting creative with them again in person once restrictions have been lifted.”
The arts are known to enhance the lives of older people in care, resulting in improved cognitive capacity, social inclusion and wellbeing – benefits that are increasingly important during lockdown.
Belong Morris Feinmann’s Experience Coordinator, Angela Luckett, said: “Art has always played a big role in life at the village and we are so thankful to those in the community, such as Chava, who have helped us continue this despite the challenges of COVID-19. Painting the biscuits was such an engaging and novel activity, especially as many of our residents had never done it before, and it certainly brought a smile to everyone’s faces at this difficult time!”
To create a vibrant environment for residents to enjoy the art workshops and other activities, the team at Belong Morris Feinmann have transformed the village’s Venue into a club house. Catering for one household at a time in line with village ‘bubbles’ and social distancing requirements, the space is designed to accommodate a variety of pursuits, ranging from knitting and reading to games and music.
The village has also received donations from a number of local organisations over the last few months. This includes dementia-focused community music project, SoundUp Arts, which produced an array of themed activity packs and accompanying DVDs to help get residents’ creative juices flowing through a series of arts and craft sessions, sing-a-longs and movement-based activities.
