Page 21 - Sweet Harmonies

Introduction
Artist Laura Aldridge has been working on Stroke and Medicine of the Elderly Wards with Carey Moss and Kim McGovern, the only two activity coordinators at the Royal In rmary.
Patient pro les on the wards vary, but many of the patients we work with have memory loss, communication and language dif culties, impaired reasoning abilities as well as changes in visual perception. In addition on the Stroke Wards we work with individuals of all ages who are dealing with the emotional stress of having had a stroke.
We have worked with Carey and
Kim over an extended period of time,
suggesting artists and workshops as
frequently as we can. We are aware
of how stressful their jobs can be;
devising and delivering a weekly
programme of activities is much harder
than you might think. We hope that
by working alongside Carey and Kim
that it both supports them in their work but also adds to their repertoire of skills. New artists coming onto wards offer new ways of working, providing a distraction for staff and patients, as well as that much needed social space we talked about earlier in the brochure.
At the beginning of a new workshop block we usually start with an activity that allows us to assess levels of dexterity, attention span, spacial awareness etc. This helps us to work out how to make the workshops relevant to all who take part.
Royal In rmary
Sweet Harmonies 21
© Trevor Cromie