A charity working in the field of arts and mental health providing creative opportunities for older people with mental health problems including dementia, and their carers in Sandwell, West Midlands.
www.staa.org.uk
What they do
STAA provides creative opportunities for older people, including those with dementia. STAA offers programmes of sessions to enhance the wellbeing and enrich the quality of life of participants.
STAA's creative sessions are:
• Activities for individuals on a one to one basis in their own homes based around their interests and hobbies.
• Activities for groups in community, hospital or day centre settings.
Sessions are personalised and are designed around the interests and needs of the person or group.
Some examples of the work carried out by participants can be seen on their web site under ‘Case Studies’ and ‘Gallery’
STAA's History
STAA was set up to help address the creative, social and spiritual needs of older people with mental health problems and dementia.
STAA started as a result of a report commissioned by Sandwell Social Services in 1995: “ Arts in Community Care Packages for EMI (Elderly Mentally Infirm) People” by Alun Bond and Sue Roberts. In the 1990s Sandwell Social Services recognised that when they were designing services for older people their social needs were being neglected. The report identified that therapeutic benefits could be gained from an arts programme which could help to maintain and improve the well being of older people.
STAA started with a grant from Sandwell Social Services and West Midlands Arts in 1996. It became a charity in 2001.
In 2004 STAA’s work was independently evaluated by Professor David Jolley and Kate Read of DementiaPlus West Midlands.
Comments from the evaluation:
“STAA has created 1996-2004 a high quality service”.
“The work of STAA goes across boundaries. It is used by health and Social Services….it is accessed through voluntary organisations, age related and cross cultural. This provides a sense of sharing and cohesion.”
“Each programme is a single-case experiment carefully recorded.” “There is little doubt from inspection of randomly chosen case-notes, that note keeping is exemplary and that every client receives an excellent service, often realising achievements and experiences they would not previously have thought possible”.
“It gives an option for older people, particularly those with mental health problems, of adding something to their lives.”
“The breadth of STAA’s work with clients of any background, age or disability and the flexibility and ingenuity shown by the co-ordinator and individual artists, are highly regarded.”
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