Creative Exchanges

Creative Exchanges is the Arts in Care programme of Age & Opportunity. The aim of Creative Exchanges is to make creativity intrinsic to life in care settings. We do this by providing FETAC-approved training to care staff who work in care settings. They can then, in turn, run arts programmes on a regular basis with the older people who are in the care settings where they work. 

The training is unique in that it has been tailor-made for staff working with older people in care settings. Workshops aim to enable participants to facilitate creative activity with the older people in their care. So far the training has involved drama, visual arts and dance.

Age & Opportunity developed the programme and delivers courses using highly trained facilitators, including Elly McCrea and Gerda Teljeur. Elly explains her passionate belief in the power of this work to change lives: "I have seen the benefits of it, for the care-workers as well as for their clients. Communication between staff and residents engaged in a creative process is different. It shifts from caring to sharing, and maybe sharing eventually leads to a need for less caring. There is communication at a different level. It is two way."