Cultural first aid kit

Creativity incorporated into care

[Image: D. Sovyak - Unsplash]

The Cultural First Aid Kit provides 30 creative and fun activities and workshops that can be completed in the comfort of your own home, in hospital or care centres and homes. The activities have been created by artists, musicians and therapists for people to carry out themselves or with family and friends. Creativity can be incorporated into the day to day care and rehabilitation pathways of people and everyone should have the opportunity to access creative and meaningful cultural activity throughout their lives.

The Cultural First Aid Kit is a useful resource for carers, activity co-ordinators, occupational and speech therapists, support workers and volunteers. Each activity aims to offer accessible and creative ways to convalesce and restore health and wellbeing. Easy to follow, step by step instructions guide you through a range of activities. A comprehensive and easy to source list of materials are included too. All activities in the Cultural First Aid Kit have been tried and tested with hospital patients and visitors, health professionals, activity co-ordinators, support workers, carers and volunteers.

The Cultural First Aid Kit was originally developed by Wendy Gallagher, Kate Eggleston-Wertz, Nikki Colclough and Rachel Swanick at The Whitworth & Manchester Museum, part of the University of Manchester. It was supported by Arts Council England and Trafford Hospital, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. Our work has been informed by a research project Not So Grim Up North funded by Arts Council England. This research explores how museum and gallery activities can make a difference in terms of health and wellbeing.

You can find the resource online, and download it free at: 
Health and Culture website: http://www.healthandculture.org.uk/publications/cultural-first-aid-kit/

University of Manchester: http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/DocuInfo.aspx?DocID=41662
Manchester Museum: http://www.museum.manchester.ac.uk/learn/healthandwellbeing/
The Whitworth: http://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/learn/healthandwellbeing/

Another couple of fantastic resources are the following handbooks that have been created for cultural engagement working with people living with Dementia and one for working with older men:

A Handbook for Cultural Engagement with People Living with Dementia
Further information about the handbook is located here:

http://www.healthandculture.org.uk/publications/a-handbook-for-cultural-engagement-with-people-living-with-dementia-the-whitworth/

A Handbook for Cultural Engagement with Older Men

You can find further information about the handbook here:

http://www.healthandculture.org.uk/publications/a-handbook-for-cultural-engagement-with-older-men-the-whitworth/

[Source: Wendy Gallagher, Arts and Health Programme Manager, Manchester Museum, Manchester, wendy.gallagher@manchester.ac.uk]