Late 2021, artist Hailey Beavis began a series of art making workshops at the Western General Hospital. The workshops are supported by Senior Charge Nurse Carol Paterson and form part of programme in the Meaningful Activity Centre.
The small, intimate group, allowed Hailey to work with individuals and tune in to how they were doing, how they like to work, and how best to work with them.
The first session got off to a bright start, with sunshine pouring through the windows, creating a warm and welcoming feeling, more akin to a social club than a hospital meeting room. Using music played through a small speaker, with songs requested by the patients, Hailey created a relaxed atmosphere which got the group interacting.
Art materials including coloured card, old memorabilia and postcard were laid on a table, with percussive instruments for those who found it harder to engage with the art activities. Patients’ confidence grew throughout the session with painting, mark making, chatting, singing, dancing and drumming.
As sessions continue into 2022 they have retained the same organic feeling and versatility of materials, with sensory still life sessions including scented foliage such as rosemary, and activities using high contrast materials – white on black – for participants with visual impairments.
Staff have commented that patients have been looking forward to the workshops, talking about them beforehand and this can be seen in the sessions themselves with participants bringing along extra materials, progressing their work, breaking out of their routines, and opening up – cracking jokes and reminiscing – and apparently sleeping better.
Using interactive performance to gain a better understanding of patients’ needs and staff practice at Liberton Hospital in order to address immediate issues of low motivation, social isolation and boredom; ensuring relevance and greater impact of longer-term approaches.
It has been a real pleasure meeting up with staff past and present over the last year or so to hear more about their connection to the Western General. Artlink has been supporting the hospital to find ways of marking 150 years of healthcare being provided on the site; from its first incarnation as the Craigleith Hospital and Poorhouse to what it is today – a hive of first class healthcare on a site that also supports over 80 different plant species.
Over the last months we have been working in partnership with The Scottish Book Trust and The Reading Agency to bring Reading Friends to care for the elderly wards. Reading Friends is a UK wide scheme that uses books and reading as a way of fostering friendship and creating meaningful moments that have long term effects.
