Mindscape
MindSCAPE seeks to help people living with dementia or in the early stages of memory loss to reconnect with the landscape through a wide variety of activities including arts, woodland and craft activities.
The project aims to share skills and build the confidence of carers to provide mindSCAPE activities for the person or people they care for.
Participants will be able to reconnect with the landscape of the Forest through mindSCAPE activities and the gathering of stories and memories of life in the forest.
What will the project deliver?
This project will adapt the existing mindSCAPE programme, which is aimed at people with dementia and their carers who are still living independently in the community, to include those living in residential care settings with dementia.
MindSCAPE will work in care homes in the Forest including with people who were born, or have lived/grown up in the Forest, to help them tell stories about the history/heritage of the Forest and past memories of the landscape.
The project will produce a handbook or guide/resource for carers which provides information and guidance to support carers to reconnect the person they care for with the landscape. For example, part of the guide will provide step-by-step instructions on how to carry out various activities that are inspired by nature, ranging from very simple 1-2 minute activities (identifying flowers in the garden, or constellations in the night sky) right through to longer, creative activities (how to make a festive wreath using natural materials sourced from nature, or paint a basic landscape).
The project also aims to:
- Work with older people from two residential care homes per year (one within the Wye Valley AONB area)
- Provide a programme of activities that ‘reconnect to nature’
- Gather the stories / memories of the landscape from participants
- Record and document stories/memories that are on the brink of being lost
- Exhibit the artwork created and stories/memories recorded and share with the wider community
What can I get involved in?
We need volunteers to help deliver workshops in care homes and produce the resource guide. You can also come along to the exhibitions of artwork.
Click here to find out more about the mindSCAPE project run by the Wye Valley AONB and Artspace.
Celebrating Our Forest projects
Celebrating Our Forest Projects
If you go down to the woods today...
You might be surprised what you find!
From creating habitats for our wildlife or improving our waterways, to recording oral histories or finding old photos, there’s always something going on to get involved in!