Stories of Creative Ageing Portraying Ageing Cultural Assumptions

Stories of Creative Ageing Portraying Ageing: Cultural Assumptions and Practical Implications British Library Conference Centre 28 th April 2014 Dr Jackie Reynolds

Introduction Senior Researcher (FACT) Social Gerontologist – arts and ageing Inter-disciplinary research development, including cross-faculty group of Researchers in Ageing Involvement in local initiatives e. g. Age Friendly City Steering Group; Creative Age Festival (partners at Keele/New Vic) Interest in creative research methods, cultural value, stories/narratives

Overview Creative Ageing: Exploring Social Capital and Arts Engagement in Later Life: Life Stories of Male Choristers And the Doctor Said…. . Stories of healthcare in North Staffordshire

Doctoral Research aim: To explore the meanings that older people attach to their participation in group arts activities throughout their lives Qualitative study, life course approach, influenced by narrative methodologies In-depth interviews with 24 participants aged 60 -87. One third male, two thirds female Included dance, drama, craft groups, art groups, choirs

Life Stories of Male Choristers “I started when I was about five in the arts if you can call singing in the church choir…I was a probationer at five y’see and when you start that young, music gets into you doesn’t it? ” (Leonard, aged 77) Research finding: The key roles played by people’s childhood experiences at home, school and church, in shaping later-life arts engagement

Life Stories of Male Choristers Research finding: Later life arts participation can contribute to positive ageing identities “We have a good time but our concert coming up…that is the serious one; that is our concert, that is our money earner so we’re taking it extremely seriously – well we do take music extremely seriously anyway…in a semiprofessional organisation you’ve got to have some sort of standard… (Derek, aged 60)

Life Stories of Male Choristers Research finding: A wide range of practical and emotional support can be generated by group arts activities “Comradeship and being together. There’s a lot of feeling in the choir, I mean if anybody’s bad everybody mucks in…They’re always there for you. If you wanted anything they’re always there for you. ” (Stan, aged 70) “And I was in [place] Hospital. And I had 16 or 18 around me bed one afternoon. Now that showed whether they cared didn’t it? Hey, and they all started singing…” (Leonard, aged 77)

Life Stories of Male Choristers “And you know everybody in the choir, and they know you. . Yeah, cos you stand by them people all the time y’see. Your first tenors, second bass, first bass see. I mean there’s four of us [names them] who always stand together and you get to know your cordon. ” (Stan, aged 70) (See also Cooper and Thomas 2002 and Paulson 2010) Research finding: The distinctive form of community in choirs – the collective act of singing becomes a metaphor for community itself (‘communitas’)

Life Stories of Male Choristers Research finding: People identified health benefits linked to arts engagement, but it could also be a barrier to participation “…in the meantime the male voice choir saved me. When I left flying…in 1995, there was a very good choir here and I’d heard them on one of the old 33 rev vinyl records…I found one track on there that I played over and over till midnight and I thought oh, I’m going to join that lot and I had to – and I did. And I stuck with it until this stick – it made my walking difficult and it really did hurt and I couldn’t really carry it on – but I did nearly ten years of it and the taking part was that lovely sound, oh it filled the gap of not writing many poems again, but that was basically what it was and so now I’ve got the memory of the choir, many friends still in it… (Phillip, aged 73)

Life Stories of Male Choristers Research finding: Concerns about the overall sustainability of arts groups and the survival of valued traditions “The other thing that’s affecting the type of stuff that we do in the choir I suppose is the fact that many of the absolute stalwarts of the choir are getting on a bit and some of them have left to go to different areas. They’ve left because they’re too old or they’re now singing in a far better place- you know, they’ve left us altogether…” (Derek, aged 60)

And the Doctor Said. . • AHRC Connected Communities project • Staffordshire, Keele and Northumbria Universities • Exploring people’s experiences of healthcare in North Staffordshire (historically as well as recently) • Creative writing workshops led by writers, actors, storytellers • Range of ages, including many older participants.

And the Doctor Said…. And with

Sharing the Storiesw • • • Wealth of creative writing Book in publication Audio-documentary Project Films See www. andthedoctorsaid. org Touring exhibition

Exhibition Launch at Burslem School of Art, December 2013 wi

Value of storytelling in research with older people: connecting people; conveying powerful messages Exciting potential of creative research methods to enable stories to be shared in more participatory and engaging ways Potential of arts participation in later life – positive ageing identities; social capital Dynamics of mutual support and reciprocity in lives of older people challenge discourses of dependency Old age cannot be viewed in isolation from the rest of the life course. Need to focus on resourceful ageing throughout life

References Cooper, L. Thomas, H. (2002) Growing old gracefully: social dance in the third age. Ageing & Society Vol. 22 pp. 689 -708 Paulson, S. (2010) How Different Dance Forms Construct a Sense of Community Amongst Older People. London, City University. Available from <http: //www. student. city. ac. uk/~bn 998/Legacy/Community. pdf> [Accessed 22 April 2014] Acknowledgements With grateful thanks to: • Prof. Miriam Bernard (Keele University) and Prof. Thomas Scharf (NUI Galway) who supervised my doctoral research • My colleagues on the ‘And the Doctor Said… project: Mark Webster (Staffordshire University), Dr Alannah Tomkins (Keele University) and Dr Geoff Walton (Northumbria University) • Creative practitioners for ‘And the Doctor Said…’ Deborah Mc. Andrew, Maria Whatton, Dave Reeves and Chrissie Hall • Research participants who shared their stories

Thank you Any questions? wi My contact details: Dr Jackie Reynolds j. reynolds@staffs. ac. uk Tel. 01782 295789 Twitter @jackie_staffs