Now We See Us is the latest exhibition from creative ageing charity Equal Arts, putting the spotlight firmly on the contribution and role activities coordinators have in caring for older people and those living with dementia.
Nationally across the care sector there is often little budget for wellbeing and activities. Yet hearing from those on the ground, the impact of creativity should see it viewed as a key part of a person’s care plan alongside health and medication.
Jenny Hawthorn, Activities Coordinator at Craigielea Care Home, said: “Moving into a care home it can be hard to lose your independence, give up your routines and your home. We work to bring those bits of normality back to their lives, to make things as normal and as enjoyable as possible.”
Coral Shaw, Activities Coordinator at Hawksbury House, added: “People think because you’re an AC rather than a carer the job is easier, it isn’t. You are supporting people with differing and complex needs to engage. It’s about being in the moment together and supporting them to have some independence back through activities and creativity.”
In the exhibition Jenny and Coral feature alongside 19 other activity and lifestyle coordinators working across care homes in Gateshead.
Together this past year they’ve undertaken creative training with Equal Arts.
Working in partnership with Gateshead Council, the unique service sees care staff explore Dementia and Imagination training with access to peer support workshops and shadowing opportunities with artists experienced in delivering dementia-friendly creative activities which explore what residents can enjoy and achieve.
Steph Downey, Gateshead Council’s Strategic Director of Adult Social Care, said: “This is an excellent project which showcases the importance of creativity in the care sector.
“We know that people who live and work in care settings are often ‘unseen’ by wider society. Exhibitions like Now We See Us are a brilliant way to highlight the excellent work undertaken by care workers and activities coordinators, who help to ensure that people living in care settings continue to actively engage with their hobbies and interests, or indeed develop new ones.”
Douglas Hunter is CEO of Equal Arts, which delivers creative workshops and training to care, health and culture sector staff across the region. He added: “It’s important to value the hard work and creativity of care staff in care homes. There is a perception in society that you have to care to work in adult social care, that this is an innate quality along with creativity and therefore you don’t need to be trained or skills developed to care.
“We need to recognise that to care well is a skilled job which benefits from appropriate investment in the workforce. When people have cognitive decline such as dementia the one thing they can continue to achieve is being imaginative and creative, it is an asset approach rather than focusing on the deficit such as memory-based activities.”
A highlight of the exhibition has been the Gateshead ‘Fabric of Life’ rag rug, a collaborative textile piece created by more than 150 residents and care staff over 90 hours during a tour of the borough.
The rag rug and wider exhibition is on now open at Gateshead Civic Centre until the end of April 2026.
For more information about creative workshops and training please contact Equal Arts on 0191 261 1619 or email: information@equalarts.org.uk
