The Model’s School of Generational Storytelling in Care Homes throughout Sligo.
The Model celebrates the launch of The School of Generational Storytelling, a major community-based art project, with a special event and opening on Wednesday, 26th March. This event celebrated the culmination of a yearlong artist-in-residence programme, where two artists Eamon O’Kane and Chelsea Canavan were placed in six care homes throughout county Sligo. During this time residents participated in hands-on creative workshops designed to spark memories, encourage self-expression, and foster intergenerational connections through storytelling, visual art, and music. A key aspect of the project was to collaborate closely with care home staff to tailor activities to residents’ interests and cognitive abilities, ensuring a meaningful and inclusive experience.
The Model recognises the therapeutic potential of creative engagement, particularly for residents who may struggle with verbal or emotional expression. The collaborative approach at the heart of the project created a bridge for communication and connection.
A significant outcome of the initiative is a set of bespoke creative toolkits, developed in partnership with The Model and the care homes. These toolkits, were unveiled at The Model at the celebratory event and gifted to each of the care homes involved – Bailey’s Nursing Home in Ballymote, Nazareth House, St. John’s Community Hospital and Mowlam Nursing Home in Sligo town; and Sonas Ard Na Gréine in Enniscrone. The toolkits contain carefully curated objects and creative materials inspired by the year-long collaboration. Activities coordinators and visiting family members will now have access to these engaging resources, which can be adapted to individual residents’ needs.
The Model’s Director, Emer McGarry, highlights the potential for expanding this initiative to additional care homes in the future. Designed to stimulate cognitive activity and enhance well-being, they will serve as a valuable resource for both care staff and visiting families. Furthermore, a special lending library of creative materials is currently in development and will be available later this year.
The importance of tailoring creative activities to each resident’s unique cognitive and emotional state was key to the project’s success. The Model invites the public to experience some of the residents' artwork and explore the original toolkit, which will be on display at The Model from 27th March to 3rd May.
Sligo Care Homes Project
An arts and health project across six care homes in Sligo with artist Eamon O’Kane and supporting artist Chelsea Canavan, addressing the needs of activities coordinators and residents through the creative process. The artists investigate the needs of each care home, working with staff to explore stories and narratives that will inform the construction of a much needed creative toolkit to be used by care home activities coordinators in their daily work.
Following a series of initial site visits with lead artist O’Kane, Canavan has been working throughout the summer with residents and staff in each care home, identifying their needs and gathering vital information for the development of the creative toolkits. With further visits planned for autumn, O’Kane has been invited as research Artist-In-Residence at The Model. Site visits to the care homes, workshops and a Training & Networking Day for activities coordinators are planned in the next phase of the project.
Following recent projects we have done in Sligo University Hospital and the wider Sligo community, our partners have increasingly valued the positive impact of the Arts in healthcare contexts, with staff at the hospital saying –
“Working with The Model has proven to be an extremely positive and healing endeavour. Research investigating the link between creativity and well-being in patient populations has shown that the arts can promote the overall health and positive outcomes of patients. Arts and arts engagement has been shown to improve mood, reduce stress and has had positive learning effects."