The best kind of care is like sunshine - accessing older people’s views through creative writing

Brown-Wilson, C., Tetley, J., Healey, J. and Wolton, R. (2015) The best kind of care is like sunshine - accessing older people’s views through creative writing. [Conference or Workshop Item]

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Abstract

The changes to physical and cognitive health that often precipitate the move to a care home may limit the opportunities for older people to participate in activities that could inform and shape the future care they receive. Creative writing was therefore identified as an enjoyable medium through which older people could explore and share their experience of living in a care homes that they may not otherwise easily articulate. This paper will present findings from a project that aimed to: explore how a creative writing intervention in a care home might contribute to the development of meaningful activity in a long term care settings, access service user voices and accounts of receiving care in a long term care setting. The presentation will focus on findings from seven supported writing workshops in a care home that were facilitated by a professional writer. A thematic analysis of the women’s work will also be presented. This identified five key themes: Being confronted by loss, Unlocking memories, Re-discovering the self, Change and adaptation, Giving and receiving care. Writings from the workshops will be used to illustrate the unique insights accessed as the participants reflected on their lives and experiences following their move into long term care.