CUH Arts’ Dance Artist Filipa Pereira-Stubbs talks about her work with older patients at Cambridge University Hospitals.
As the dance artist working on a Department of Medicine for the Elderly ward, I regularly encounter bays filled with individuals experiencing heightened levels of distress, confusion and anxiety. There is much disorientation caused by chronic ill health or a sudden crisis - a fall, or stroke - resulting in tired, pained, medicated and disconnected bodies. Complicated of course by the process of ageing. Rehabilitation on these wards is particularly difficult as the energy to engage with physical and occupational therapies is often low; much time and effort is needed to support patients into engagement.
maintaining mobility and mental agility is crucial for these elderly patients.
Filipa Pereira-Stubbs
Working together with Katherine Pride, the Specialist Dementia Nurse, our goal is to create sessions where our elderly patients can feel safe, supported, and understood. Deconditioning is rapid and destructive during a hospital stay; maintaining mobility and mental agility is crucial for these elderly patients.
On Ward G6 we have embarked on a new dance group, weekly ‘Music and Movement’ sessions. We have decided to work both in the dayroom and when appropriate on ward bays, in order to engage as many people as possible, including staff and family, working with the parameters of patients being bed or chair bound. Bringing music and movement to the Medicine for the Elderly wards has been a great challenge, but brings great success as well.
In our last session, when we arrived, most of the ladies were in bed with sheets obscuring them. Katherine and I set to work. Persuading and helping them to move into their chairs where possible, introducing ourselves, drawing back curtains, introducing patients to their neighbour, repeatedly introducing the benefits of movement and music. Which of course these ladies knew all about, having spent decades of their lives dancing, but certainly not expecting that kind of thing in this kind of a place.
This is exactly what my mum needs - we used to dance together all the time when I was little, she loved dancing.
Daughter of CUH Patient
Student nurses and a health care assistant helped with getting people to the toilet, and slowly, a resemblance of a group began to shape itself. We made a rough circle with beds and chairs, placed pillows strategically, made sure the staff joined us, and a visiting daughter. We began by playing some gentle, calm music. Instantly eyes open, and shone with pleasure – ‘this is lovely’, and ‘this is nice’. Heads nodded their approval. The visiting daughter instantly teared up- ‘This is exactly what my mum needs - we used to dance together all the time when I was little, she loved dancing.’ Her Mum was watching us all, her eyes bright with recognition - her daughter, music - it made sense. We had the two fall coordinators with us, visiting the session. Their enthusiasm and delight was infectious and inspiring.
My role is to weave in all the different abilities, put everyone at their ease, find and encourage little moments of duet and contact.
Filipa Pereira-Stubbs
As we continued, and the music became more rhythmical, and dynamic, it became clear that this wasn’t going to be difficult or embarrassing for anyone - far from it - you were only encouraged to do what felt comfortable, and whatever you did do was met with great acclaim and attention. My role is to weave in all the different abilities, put everyone at their ease, find and encourage little moments of duet and contact. Bodies were relaxing, muscles moving, limbs and hearts dancing. Feet were tapping, hips were gently shimmying, and we were singing together, laughing together.
The highlight came from the most unwilling participant, by this time loving the fun of it who asked for a Status Quo song. The resulting dance was irresistibly joyous - staff kept coming to the bay, watching, clapping, showing us their own little dances.
Our differences as patients and staff had fallen away, in our own way each of us had brought happiness and connection.
Filipa Pereira-Stubbs
We finished with some calm music, one hand on our hearts, one hand on our bellies, breathing quietly, held together from our shared experience. Staff and visitors joined in with this relaxation exercise. I quietly gave each patient a brief shoulder and neck massage - establishing touch and care. Our differences as patients and staff had fallen away, in our own way each of us had brought happiness and connection, the frustrations of hospital were forgotten.
The Dance for Health programme addresses both the physical body and the mental state. The benefits provided are many, and cover a wide range - supplementing existing rehabilitation programmes, addressing obstacles around convalescence, de-conditioning, physical confidence and issues such as anxiety, agitation, social engagement, and loneliness. The sessions return a sense of agency to people, and create wellbeing through enjoyment, creativity and self-expression.
Filipa Pereira-Stubbs
Filipa Pereira-Stubbs is a dance artist, teacher, research consultant and creative practitioner with thirty years experience in the arts and health, working across the UK and based in Cambridge and Cambridgeshire. Filipa devises and delivers dance & health programmes in the community, in hospitals & clinical settings, in museums & galleries, schools and outdoors in Nature. Consistently, her projects enable participants to build compassionate and healthier relationships with themselves, their work & communities and with nature. Her work upholds the core values of inclusivity and integration, bridging gaps and prejudices around cultural norms, and societal issues such as economic, health and age differences.
She has taught on MA programmes in the Arts Therapies, co-founded Rosetta Life - working in hospice care, is a founding member of the Cambridge charity Cambridge Curiosity and Imagination, and has devised and delivered many community projects working with children, adults, the community of dementia, and adult education. Her museum work includes Kettles Yard and the Fitzwilliam Museum, and Cambridge University Museums. Her workshops and talks have been held across UK universities and internationally. Filipa is a Churchill fellow (2012) and a masters graduate of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and undergraduate of the London School of Economics.