The sessions we provide include:

Art/Craft

These activities help to develop co-ordination of eye, hand and brain. It is of great benefit to people who are working through intensive rehabilitation after a severe stroke, or those with Cerebral Palsy, partial paralysis or mental disability. Art and Craft activities bring out latent talent in older people.

Making an object involves making choices and visual, tactile or verbal experiences are part of that long process of regaining self-worth. The act of making art can be shared and gives a satisfaction in its completion, regardless of value judgments about good and bad art.

For our Adelaide class people come in for the morning simply to enjoy the relaxation of socialising whilst involved in art. They call it their ‘weekly therapy’.

Movement

Movement classes are essentially about enjoyment of movement. ‘Extend’ exercise aims to improve circulation, posture and balance, and, by improving strength and stamina, help mobility and independence. Movement has a beneficial effect on physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. It is not a keep fit class.

Reminiscence

This session is designed to stimulate the memory by showing pictures, slides and artefacts of days gone by, or by playing music from the period of the client’s youth, and to encourage social interaction.

The use of collections of memorabilia, photographs, scents and smells, sensory objects, radio themes, and famous voices act as visual, sensory and auditory triggers. As interest is generated a theme or topics are explored, memories are sensitively shared and members engage in as much lively and stimulating discussion as they are able and willing to.

Art/Reminiscence

During this session, clients produce art or craft work based on reminiscence subjects. This stimulates discussion whilst producing work for them to keep and has proved so successful that we had our artists trained in basic reminiscence.

Music

Music is particularly evocative of memories and related feelings, whilst also being a powerful force for stimulating other creative activities such as singing and dancing.

The group may be encouraged to sing and sometimes play percussion instruments together, evoking memories which are so closely linked to the music.

Games

Playing games encourages people to socialise and have fun. Our practitioners bring along either conventional or specialised game sets that are easy to use if clients have arthritis or perhaps failing eyesight. If clients would prefer puzzles or quizzes then please put in a request with the booking.

Reading

Practitioners read stories or articles for 45 minutes. Clients may request subjects that are meaningful to them or the practitioner will choose a suitable subject.

We deliver our activities to over 40 residential homes, nursing homes, day care centres and schools on the Isle of Wight

A movement with Soundbeam session

During 2009 Independent Arts’ practitioners delivered over 2000 sessions to clients around the Island.

A Reminiscence session

Music remains the most popular therapy.

Enjoying a music session