Creative Ageing Project - Benefits of Arts for the Health and well-being of Elderly

The idea behind the Creative Ageing programme is to help people improve their mental health through creativity.

I was tasked to make this Short Film/Documentary by Greater Shantallow Community Arts to highlight the impacts and benefits of Community Arts in supporting the positive Mental Health & Well-being of Older Residents.

Parts of this project are reflections on the pandemic, therefore there is some archive footage included and the stories of some of the participants on the project are included that they produced through the lockdown themselves. The interviews, editing, structure and the way the story is reflected by visuals and music were my responsibility, working alongside the programme facilitators and participants on the project.

The video was screened to a number of people, including Noelle McAlinden, board member of NI Mental Health Arts Festival, Shauna Houston, Improvement Manager Public Health Agency and Dr Siobhán O’Neill, Mental Health Champion for NI. After watching the video, NI Health Minister Robin Swann said: “I greatly welcome the steps Greater Shantallow Community Arts are taking to improve the mental health and emotional well-being within these communities.”