OLD PEOPLE’S HOME FOR YOUNG
(& YOUNG AT HEART) ARTISTS
So last Saturday, 17th November i took a small group of my art warriors to Sunrise Old People’s home
& WOW!! what a brilliant afternoon!
Everyone was smiling, interacting & enjoying the moment!
it was a great success! & Im thrilled to have been asked to do more!
One gentleman in his 90’s who has alzheimer’s, was a quite upset & tearful just before coming into the activity room, as he remembered that he wife had died but within 5 minutes of being sat next to 5 year old George, well they were having a wail of a time, laughing, giggling, painting, it was fabulous!!
One lady who said she was practically blind painted a lovely plant pot with help from one of the older kids, it was wonderful!
There were many precious moments like this!
Really looking forward to the next one!
WHY DID I DO THIS?
I am very passionate about creativity
It’s a vital part of who we are
Art & being creative makes us feel free, alive, happy, proud, able & independent
it benefits all ages & can make older adults especially feel young again, help them forget their aches & pains, free from loneliness & help to alleviate feeling low & without optimism
Creativity can come in many forms & it should play an important part of our daily lives
i believe being creative is deep within our human nature
Creativity holds so much value & has so many positive benefits!
I have run my business Parsley Pie art club for children for nearly 18 years
i absolutely love it!
I work with children of all ages & abilities & since day one the ethos has been all about –
• freedom of choice
• self expression
• passion
• self esteem
• independent thinking
• equality
• creativity
• learning
At Parsley Pie we work together in small groups & the children are treated children as individual beings with unique characters, dreams, passions, & abilities
We have no curriculum, no grades, no report cards, no judgment, no pressure & of course NO CLEAN HANDS!
Children have the opportunity to choose their own projects are strongly encouraged to use their own ideas, imaginations & initiative
Parsley Pie art classes help children to …..
overcome shyness
learn to problem solve
improve dexterity
relax & feel less anxious
build self confidence
think independently
feel happy & proud
& i thought, all these positive benefits, these could all be applied to older adults!
Plus I wanted to give something back to the community. Do something completely voluntary & different!
So many older adults can feel lonely, isolated & like they don’t have much to look forward to, i knew it would be great!
We don’t believe we will ever be so old, but we will!
It’s nice to do things for other people! & i now have no living grandparents of my own! its great to just be with much older adults, makes you feel good, they are such characters, they have so much to give, so much life experience
Plus i know that quite a lot of my art warrior kids don’t have grandparents, or don’t see their grandparents often & some of the kids, their grandparents live abroad, so i thought it would be lovely for them too!
So i phoned Sunrise, told them who i was, what i did & right away i got a great response & that was that! Old people’s home for young (& young at heart) artists was born!
So the next one I’m doing is in January!
Really excited!
Thanks for watching!
Let your creativity run wild, always!
Jenny x