Towards dementia strategy
The Active Citizens Fund in Lithuania has granted support for the project “Towards a Dementia Strategy: situation analysis and public awareness”. The Project aims to strengthen civil society organisations’ role in dementia strategy development and dementia advocacy through the following aims:
1) Undertake a situation analysis through policy, service delivery assessment, and stakeholder mapping.
2) In collaboration with key stakeholders and experts, create recommendations for dementia strategy development.
3) Raise awareness around dementia in Lithuania through multi-sectorial collaborations.
Project aims are defined following the World Health Organisation recommendations.
The project period - 2021-2023.
The project will be implemented in collaboration with the following partners: The Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Alzheimer Clubs in Kaunas and in Klaipėda, The National Broadcaster "Lietuvos Nacionalinis Radijas Ir Televizija".
Project is also supported by The Tiltas Trust.
1) Undertake a situation analysis through policy, service delivery assessment, and stakeholder mapping.
2) In collaboration with key stakeholders and experts, create recommendations for dementia strategy development.
3) Raise awareness around dementia in Lithuania through multi-sectorial collaborations.
Project aims are defined following the World Health Organisation recommendations.
The project period - 2021-2023.
The project will be implemented in collaboration with the following partners: The Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Alzheimer Clubs in Kaunas and in Klaipėda, The National Broadcaster "Lietuvos Nacionalinis Radijas Ir Televizija".
Project is also supported by The Tiltas Trust.
Online talk: Access, Inclusivity and Imagination
Rupert invites all to an online workshop and discussion, led by Ieva Petkutė as part of Rupert’s 2020 public programmes on care and interdependence. Petkute will be joined by specially invited guest Monika Ošmianskienė, Council Member at Vilnius City Municipality. The workshop will be held on Zoom on 19 November, 2020 at 18:00 – 19:00 (EET). Participants must register beforehand here. The talk will be in Lithuanian.
Transforming Care and Communities
People living with dementia find themselves constantly in transition, which requires a great deal of adjustment. When casual things, such as dressing, eating and walking become standardised care components, one develops unique of way attachment to one’s environment.
In the conference we had a presentation "Empowerment through creative engagement: arts for health practice in Lithuania", which explores how creative engagement can help to make sense of home and to maintain one’s identity.
More information about the event can be found here, the full programme can be found here.
In the conference we had a presentation "Empowerment through creative engagement: arts for health practice in Lithuania", which explores how creative engagement can help to make sense of home and to maintain one’s identity.
More information about the event can be found here, the full programme can be found here.
AAIC Conference
In the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) 2020 we showcased a poster-presentation "The Impact of Creative Engagement in Museum Activities on the Well-being of People Living With Dementia, Their Carers and Family Members: The Arts Programming “Susitikime muziejuje” Case in Lithuania". Please, check our poster presentation here.
The Alzheimer’s Association International Conference® is the largest and most influential international meeting dedicated to advancing dementia science. Each year, AAIC® convenes the world’s leading basic science and clinical researchers, next-generation investigators, clinicians and the care research community to share research discoveries that'll lead to methods of prevention and treatment and improvements in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.
More information about the event can be found here.
The Alzheimer’s Association International Conference® is the largest and most influential international meeting dedicated to advancing dementia science. Each year, AAIC® convenes the world’s leading basic science and clinical researchers, next-generation investigators, clinicians and the care research community to share research discoveries that'll lead to methods of prevention and treatment and improvements in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.
More information about the event can be found here.
Research Report "Accessibility of Lithuanian Art Museums"
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The report is a part of a project “The Evaluation of Lithuanian Art Museums Accessibility for People from Socially Excluded Groups”.
The report overviews the evaluation of Lithuanian Art Museums accessibility through the following aspects: 1) museums policy, 2) physical accessibility; 3) access to information; 4) staff training; 5) access to content and experience; 6) financial accessibility; 7) social accessibility; 8) research and service quality evaluation. The report also presents results of the prevalent attitudes towards accessible museum theme among museum staff and representatives of people with disabilities analysis. The report presents a serf-evaluation toolkit for museums who are committed to develop accessibility of their services to diverse audience groups, it also shares best practice examples from Finland. The project “The Evaluation of Lithuanian Art Museums Accessibility for People from Socially Excluded Groups” was implemented with the help and support of the following partners, whom we are sincerely thankful: The Tiltas Trust, Lithuanian Museums Association, Lithuanian Association of Counties, Lithuanian Sports University, Surdology Center, Vilnius County Sign Language Interpreters Center, Panevėžys County Sign Language Interpreters Center, Kaunas County Sign Language Interpreters Center, Klaipėda County Sign Language Interpreters Center, Centre of Excellence of the Healthcare and Pharmacy Specialists, Day Center for People with Learning Disabilities “Šviesa“, Kaunas County Social Services Center, Day Center for people with Learning Disabilities “Klaipėdos lakštutė“, Lithuanian Association of the Blind and Visually Handicapped, Lithuanian Association of People with Disabilities. |
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Culture and sustainability forum in lisbon, November 15-17, 2019
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In the event Ieva Petkute delivered a presentation covering participatory arts activity to support people living with dementia, their carers and family members, the good practice in Lithuania. Participation in the event is aiming to expand the network of partners, raise awareness about the potential provide support for people living with dementia and their carers by developing accessible cultural services.
Programme of the event is HERE. |
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Multi-sensory tour with Ieva and Simona at Tate Modern, April 26-28, 2019
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Straight after the Easter celebrations, on 26-28th April, Simona and Ieva from NGO “Socialiniai meno projektai” had a unique opportunity to take part in an event programme Age/ncy: Art, Ageing & Transition festival at Tate Modern in London. “Age/ncy”, which took place at Tate Exchange platform, was a creative space to foster collaboration, testing ideas and discovering new perspectives on life and ageing through art. An after-Easter weekend of free events, activities, performances and talks created a platform to showcase the immense creativity of older people and explore the power of connecting generations through creative practice.
Our input in “Age/ncy” programme at Tate Exchange was made possible with the help of our partners – the Tiltas Trust and the Flourishing Lives Coalition. It was an exceptional opportunity to experiment in Tate Modern exhibitions and share our ongoing work. For this festival we designed three multisensory gallery tours, which invited everyone mindfully explore the Tate Modern as a whole. During the tour we observed the soundscapes of museum, our bodily sensations in diverse parts of the building and in connection with selected artworks, such as sculptures by Antony Gormley (Untitled (for Francis), 1985), Anish Kapoor (Ishi’s Light, 2003), abstract paintings by Gerhard Richter (Cage (1) - (6)), etc. The experience woke memories of the past and stories told or read and a space for an exciting cross-cultural and intergenerational exchange. Apparently, many of the stories shared were linked with cooking or Easter Food: “There is openness to a chance and a surprise in these paintings. The same way when I boil the eggs for Easter table – you never know what ornaments or colour patters you will see after taking the eggs out of the pot with red beetroot or other types of natural colorants”. “These paintings remind me of falafels I cook (…), I never thought it could anyhow be linked with experience in a museum.” In our tours took part participants living in London and its neighbourhood. Surprisingly, for significant part of them our tour was their first visit to Tate Modern. And they said that they would definitely will revisit Tate again sometime in the future. This is the most positive feedback we, as the facilitators of the tours, could ever hope for. These guided tours were based on our experience in Lithuania offering multisensory arts activity in museums and community settings for diverse audience groups, including people living with dementia, their carers and family members. During the tour painted Lithuanian Easter-eggs were our guiding exploratory tool in some of the artworks at Tate Modern. It not only had a clear link with one artwork used during the tour (Anish Kapoor, Ishi’s Light, 2003), conveyed a lot of symbolism, but also embodied the idea of being mindful to everything what we experience around us, not focussing on what we see, but also what we hear and feel – it all has a part in our overall experience in the moment. Additionally, coloured Easter egg was an interesting part of Lithuanian culture to discover for people from elsewhere. Who could have thought that something like this could happen at Tate Modern? Photos by: Ramona Zocalli, Ieva Petkutė, Flourishing Lives. |
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"Age/NCY" AT TATE MODERN IN PICTURES:
WE ARE TAKING PART IN TATE EXCHANGE PROGRAMME "AGE/NCY - ART, AGEING & TRANSITION“
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We're happy to announce that this year we are taking part in Tate Exchange programme at Tate Modern. Tate Exchange is a space for everyone to collaborate, test ideas and discover new perspectives on life, through art. From April 26 - 28, 2019, the Flourishing Lives coalition will be taking over that space to showcase the immense creativity of older people and explore the power of connecting generations through art. We feel honored to be invited to contribute to this programme this year. Simona Karpavičiūtė and Ieva Petkutė from "Socialiniai meno projektai" will invite you to join a multi-sensory tour to create memories in inspiring Tate exhibitions. Through observation, story-telling, movement and the senses we will explore the key art pieces, share ideas and enjoy cross-cultural and intergenerational exchange. The programme is based on our experience in Lithuania offering multisensory arts activity in museums and community settings for diverse audience groups, including people living with dementia, their carers and family members. Details of the tours: • Tours will last 1h 15mins and will take place from 13:00 to 14:15 on April 26, and 13:00 to 14:15 and 15:30 to 16:45 on April 27. • The tours will start from the Tate Exchange meeting point • Please book in advance by emailing [email protected] Curator of the "Age/ncy" programme - The Flourishing Lives Coalition. Our contribution to the Tate Exchange programme is made in collaboration with The Tiltas Trust. |
Along with all the "Age/ncy" organising team we want as many people as possible to join the celebration over the weekend, enjoy the events and take part in the activities so please do come along with your community groups and get involved! The free three-day programme will span parkour, stand-up comedy, circus skills, dance, physical theatre, music, workshops, the visual arts, and collaborative installation. Join us and explore the idea of ageing as transition and examine the elision of identity that we all experience, whether young or old, as we travel across the life course.
Age/ncy’ offers an interactive space for us to reflect on perceptions of ageing and celebrate the profound sense of identity, community and independence that older people can access through art. |
social inclusion: Partnering with other sectors
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In 2018 along with 35 other representatives from organisations in the cultural and social sectors we took part in the "Voices of Culture" Dialogue meeting between the European Commission and representatives of civil society organizations in Brussels. The Meeting was dedicated to the theme of Social Inclusion: Partnering with other sectors.
The key stages of the structured dialogue consisted of a moderated brainstorming over one and a half days in April 2018. In September 2018, the report was presented to a Dialogue Meeting between the VoC, and representatives from the European Commission and from Member States who collaborate on cultural policies within the Open Method of Coordination (OMC). The initial version of the report has been updated based on feedback and new contributions during the Dialogue Meeting. The final version addresses the cultural sector including policy makers and other sectors of civil society. It will be disseminated as widely as possible, including to members of the public. The report mirrors the challenge of reaching a consensus concerning its subject matter. |
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"Accessible Museums: Research and Practice in Lithuania" at London Creativity and Well-being week
Photo by Povilas Šnaras, “Susitikime muziejuje” activity at the National Gallery of Art
We delighted to announce that we are taking part in London Creativity and Well-being festival, which takes place from 4 to 10 of June this year.
Creativity and Wellbeing Week is an initiative of London Arts in Health Forum. Since 2012 the Week has grown to be a major festival highlighting work going on around arts and health. With debates and discussions, performances and exhibitions, tours and practical sessions, the Week is an opportunity to find out more, make connections, be inspired, and shape the future of arts, creativity and wellbeing.
You are warmly invited to our event “Accessible Museums: Research and Practice in Lithuania”, which is included into programme of the festival.
In an open discussion and demonstrative workshop two arts for health practitioners, dr. Simona Karpavičiūtė and Ieva Petkutė, will share their work in developing multisensory activity programmes in Lithuanian museums. Their experience suggests that the diversity of sensory stimulation not only creates ways of participation for people living with dementia and their carers; it can also promote equal participation and improve communication in care relationships (project "Susitikime muziejuje"). By sharing the results of the research project “An evaluation of the accessibility of Lithuanian Art Museums services for people from socially excluded groups”, Ieva and Simona will also reflect on the experiences and attitudes of museum professionals and target audiences on the topic of accessibility.
Creativity and Wellbeing Week is an initiative of London Arts in Health Forum. Since 2012 the Week has grown to be a major festival highlighting work going on around arts and health. With debates and discussions, performances and exhibitions, tours and practical sessions, the Week is an opportunity to find out more, make connections, be inspired, and shape the future of arts, creativity and wellbeing.
You are warmly invited to our event “Accessible Museums: Research and Practice in Lithuania”, which is included into programme of the festival.
In an open discussion and demonstrative workshop two arts for health practitioners, dr. Simona Karpavičiūtė and Ieva Petkutė, will share their work in developing multisensory activity programmes in Lithuanian museums. Their experience suggests that the diversity of sensory stimulation not only creates ways of participation for people living with dementia and their carers; it can also promote equal participation and improve communication in care relationships (project "Susitikime muziejuje"). By sharing the results of the research project “An evaluation of the accessibility of Lithuanian Art Museums services for people from socially excluded groups”, Ieva and Simona will also reflect on the experiences and attitudes of museum professionals and target audiences on the topic of accessibility.
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Practical details:
WHERE: The Claremont Project, 24-27 White Lion Street, London WHEN: 5th June 2018; 14:00-16:00 The event is free but you need to reserve a place: [email protected] |
TARGET AUDIENCE: arts for health practitioners, access programme developers in museums, carers and family members of people living with dementia, nursing staff, accessibility programmes coordinators, participatory artists, arts for health researchers, individuals interested in social inclusion through arts.
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Brochure
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The supporter of the event – the Lithuanian Council for Culture and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania.
Photo by P. Šnaras, “Susitikime muziejuje” activity at the National Gallery of Art
Photo by P. Šnaras, “Susitikime muziejuje” activity at the National Gallery of Art