Making Movement

The academic year 20/21 has challenged the CARIAD researchers to think about how we can introduce more inclusive ways for creative collaboration through the use of digital media and video conferencing.

With more organisations now open for collaborating remotely, we have been consulting with expert stakeholders in the care sector to consider how to improve levels of physical activity for older people, primarily in residential care settings.

Making Movement, funded by Cardiff Met Global Academies, has emerged through this collaboration.  The project brings together an experienced multidisciplinary team of researchers from CARIAD and the Cardiff School of Sport and Health Sciences, led by Professor Diane Crone early career researchers, stakeholder organisations and representatives from patient groups. Our goal is to develop sensory enriched technologies that encourage people to move in meaningful and healthy ways. Although average life-span is ten years longer than for previous generations, these years are often lived in poor health (Centre for Ageing Better 2019). There is an urgent need to find ways to support people to ‘live well’ into older age. Research has evidenced the benefits of exercise and detrimental effect on health and wellbeing of loneliness and social isolation.

Over the course of 2021 we will be working on gathering data through creative activities that will help to refine the scope and goals of the research; provide clarity about the context for the study and its limitations; develop a network of potential organisations who can recruit participants who are ‘experts by experience’ (older people; people living with disability, dementia etc.) and scope potential pathways for impact and routes for dissemination.

Making the Digital Future Crafty

Following the success of our partnership with Special Education providers in schools and post-16 education we have now completed three additional workshops that explored craft materials and digital co-production. The overarching aim of the Making the Future more Crafty workshops was to use everyday materials and low-cost processors to enable teachers and pupils – particularly learners with profound disabilities who do not fit a set of definable user characteristics – to experience new opportunities for digital creativity. The workshops were led by Helen Leigh, a maker, educator and writer who specialises in creative uses of new technologies. Helen’s first book, The Crafty Kids Guide to DIY Electronics provided a lot of inspiration for the activities, which participants agreed were accessible, fun, and easy to adapt for the classroom, adding that learners who would  normally only be given technologies to use could be included in design and making. The workshops were funded through the Strategic Insight Placement.

The Vale of Glamorgan show

Members of the CARIAD team supported the Alzheimer’s Society at The Vale of Glamorgan show, by running Hand i Pocket sessions.  Visitors to the show were invited to stitch sensory textile pockets for people living with advanced dementia and the Alzheimer’s Society were on hand to offer advice and support.

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Wales Festival of Innovation

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CARIAD threw open its doors this month to share its pioneering design research. The LAUGH project team, based in CARIAD, are working with health professionals and the care sector to develop playful objects to be used in the care of people with late stage dementia.

The LAUGH design Challenge took place in PDR at Cardiff Metropolitan University’s Llandaff Campus, and invited the public with an interest in design and technology to get involved as part of the showcase Wales Festival of Innovation, a national programme of events to celebrate ground-breaking activity in Wales.

The LAUGH team, which includes researchers from universities in the UK and Australia, gave participants the opportunity to use their expertise to help develop new products to stimulate laughter and fun for people living with advanced dementia.

This was one of dozens of participants in the Festival, which is organised jointly by the ESTnet (the technology network for Wales), the Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) and MediWales with the support of Welsh Government and industry partners.

Wychwood Festival

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CARIAD members recently ran a series of Hand i Pocket ‘funshops’ at the Wychwood Festival (3rd – 5th June 2016).  These sessions offered visitors to the festival the opportunity to get creative and make a sensory textile ‘Hand i Pocket’ for someone with late stage dementia.  A Hand i Pocket is a stitched textile pocket that looks colourful, is interesting to touch and comforting to feel that will stimulate and amuse someone with late stage dementia.

Working with Age Cymru and Dementia & Imagination (Bangor Univeristy) at the festival, CARIAD’s Funshops were a great success with many pockets made.

Hand i Pocket Funshops are a global community network making textiles for people with dementia. More information about Hand i Pockets can be found at: www.laughproject.info or www.handsproject.info

Visit to CHeBA

Tuesday February 9th 2016 Professor Cathy Treadaway and Dr Gail Kenning met with Professor Henry Brodaty, Scientia Professor of Ageing and Mental Health at CHeBA Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, University of New South Wales, Sydney, to discuss the LAUGH project and other related dementia projects in Australia. Professor Brodaty is one of the leading academics in the field of dementia research in Australia.

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