Screen Memories

PILOT PROJECT REPORT

Michael White| Robert Livingston| August 2018

INTRODUCTION Screen Memories was a one year pilot project run from August 2017 to July 2018 and

funded by the Life Changes Trust. It was hosted by Regional Screen Scotland, a

charity which works to enable more people, in more places, to share great screen

experiences. RSS operates the Screen Machine mobile cinema, and the germ for this

pilot project came from an experiment to see whether the highly successful methods

developed for the Alzheimer Scotland ‘Football Memories’ programme could be

adapted to memories of film and cinema-going. The initial idea was to combine the

kind of one-to-one and small-group reminiscence work which is at the heart of ‘Football

Memories’, with a more immersive and tailored experience in the Screen Machine

itself. The one year pilot has taken that initial idea and demonstrated how it can be

developed and grown, across both the care and community cinema sectors, and

Screen Memories is now established as a stand-alone SCIO, with, among its initial

trustees, the originators of the project: Michael White, formerly of Alzheimer Scotland,

and Robert Livingston, CEO of Regional Screen Scotland.

1. ORIGINAL PROJECT PROPOSAL “The proposal is to use film still images, memorabilia and selected film extracts

to provide structured experiences to stimulate recall, boost self-esteem and

confidence. It is proposed to establish connections within a community of

interest for people who are living with dementia and other memory problems,

as well as those who are lonely and isolated. Group film reminiscence sessions

will be held in a variety of appropriate settings such as peoples' own homes,

hospitals, Care Homes, Day Centres, and Community Facilities by activities

coordinators, trained volunteers and senior students. Family members and

carers will receive training in cinema-themed reminiscence and all involved will

have access to on-line resources and advice. Individual resource packs will be

prepared for home usage. The role of the Screen Machine has been to

demonstrate the strong emotional and expressive reactions that can be

prompted by a tailored experience of a 'proper' cinema (big screen, blackout,

surround sound), and distinct from 'dementia-friendly' screenings which are

usually simply full-length features shown in a more accommodating

environment, but often too long and hence too challenging for many living with

dementia or related conditions. “

2. PROJECT SCOPE

a. Delivery

As of August 2018, we have delivered over 70 sessions in a variety of settings,

including day centres, hospital wards, community centres, community cinemas,

football clubs and care homes. The total number of establishments where we

have directly delivered this innovative form of reminiscence activity is over 36.

Some settings were visited on more than one occasion.

The resources we have created, mainly screen memory cards and film trailers,

have proved to be highly relevant and there is a steady demand for more

involvement.

While the numbers in groups can vary, according to personal circumstances

and establishment constraints, it would be a reasonable estimate to say that

over 400 people have taken part. Feedback from participants, staff, carers and

family members has been universally positive.

In some cases, the recall has been spectacular, and staff and family members

alike have been surprised and delighted by the depth, frequency and clarity of

the memories that have been triggered. The memories not only include recall

of stars and films, but also the cinema buildings themselves, travel, dress and

other aspects of social and economic history.

b. Training

We have also delivered training in using film as a reminiscence activity to over

200 people, both staff and volunteers. This includes staff from the Glasgow

Social Care Partnership and a Care Home consortium from South Lanarkshire.

We have in addition delivered training sessions to some 60 volunteers within

the successful Football Memories project, funded by Alzheimer Scotland, and

Screen Memories will now be introduced to these sports-specific groups to

encourage greater involvement of female participants.

In the second half of the funded programme we prepared and produced video-

based training materials and developed our approach to ‘home usage’.

We have also produced two booklets for volunteers, outlining the development

of the project, the approaches being taken, a brief introduction to dementia and

some advice for running groups. One is for adult volunteers, and the other is

for senior school students. We encourage all volunteers to become part of the

Dementia Friends initiative.

c. Raising awareness of dementia

We were invited to present a session at the UK Cinema Association in the

Cameo Cinema in Edinburgh in October 2017, where we outlined the project

and the work we are doing. The audience were made aware of the role that

cinema could play in helping people living with dementia.

We have also delivered illustrated talks on the positive and therapeutic effects

that reminiscence can have to various service groups, mainly Rotary Clubs.

We have also had a presence at various community events to show examples

of our work and encourage taster sessions.

There has been media coverage of our work in the national press.

Our social media sites have helped reach a younger audience and have shown

the positive effects that screen memories can have, by providing daily memory

triggers and enables us to give examples of the work we are doing. The

following from within the film community has widened awareness of dementia

within that group.

We were approached by a major retail organisation who have asked us to

deliver talks to their staff on the work we are doing and showing how their

employees can be trained and get involved within their local communities. Few

of their staff had any direct experience of dementia.

d. Partnership working

We have worked with a variety of partners including:

1. Alzheimer Scotland

2. NDCAN-National Dementia Carers Network

3. SDWG- Scottish Dementia Working Group

4. Community Cinemas- including North East Arts Touring, Driftwood

5. Independent Cinemas- including Aberfeldy, Campbelltown, Waterfront

Greenock and Bo’ness Hippodrome.

6. Into Film Scotland

7. Generations Working Together

8. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde

9. Sports Heritage Scotland

10. Moving Image Archive Scotland (NLS)

11. Age Scotland Early Onset team

12. The Moray Screen Memories Pilot (supported by the Gordon and Ena

Baxter Foundation) including NHS Grampian, Andersons Care Home and

Moray Council Libraries.

13. Fyne Homes Housing Association-Bute

14. British Deaf Association

15. Deaf Blind Scotland

16. Hamilton Accies. Football Club

17. Greater Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership

18. South Lanarkshire Consortium of Care Homes

19. 32 SPFL Football Clubs

20. Individual Care Homes

21. Individual church groups.

22. Individual Rotary clubs.

23. Medicinema Project

e. Governance

We established a Steering Group with representation from those involved in

cinema and dementia care, local authorities and representatives of the National

Dementia Carers Network and the Scottish Dementia Working Group. The

experience of group members has enabled us to develop and shape our

planned programmes.

f. Reconnecting people with film

We built on the impact of screening events in the Screen Machine by extending

this model to other community cinemas and by providing a modified cinema

experience in care homes and day centres, as well as in hospital wards and

clinics. We are conscious of the need to extend the experiences to those unable

to attend sessions for whatever reason, and to train volunteers, carers and

family members to deliver more sessions on an individual basis and at more

frequent intervals.

The experiences in the hospital settings were particularly interesting. "A Night

at the Pictures" was created to trigger the entire cinema experience, with the

room themed accordingly, and cinema refreshments provided. The programme

followed the pattern of visual stimulation to set the mood and then show a

modified version of the traditional night at the pictures. This included adverts

from the 50s,newsreels of the time and then trailers of iconic films. The wards

involved were those dealing with geriatric orthopaedic rehabilitation, as well as

those with dementia. Some were really advanced in age, and their cinema

experiences were mainly from the 1940s. Staff considered the risks involved

and reduced them as far as possible to ensure those patients wanted to attend

the group could. Patients who were too unwell to leave the ward benefitted

from one to one session using the Screen Memories cards as triggers.

g. Observations from work done in hospitals

1. A better environment The hospital sessions created environments that volunteers wanted to be involved in and they also saw the differences in patients from entering the session to leaving it. The ward environments alone can sometimes be a

daunting place for volunteers and professional staff could often struggle with retention. The hospital “cinema” created an environment that was welcome to both volunteers and patients and it clearly led to meaningful interactions.

2. A sense of belonging The sessions fostered a sense of belonging to a group, developed new connections and friendships, and mixed patients from different wards to share in the event. The “cinema” experience provided the common bond and broke down barriers.

3. Stressing the positives Community activities and connections were established through shared supported tasks such as singing and recalling dialogue. The sessions stressed the importance of focusing on what can be recalled and built upon.

4. Boosting patient morale Many of the hospital volunteers were young and not familiar with the stars or films being talked about. The hospital patients recalled films, stars and the picture houses with such clarity and enjoyed passing this knowledge on to the staff and volunteers involved. it kept them socially interactive and allowed them to retain a place in society where they feel they are contributing effectively.

5. Effect on staff morale

Hospital staff were clearly moved by the inter-action between the patients and the volunteers. “It is a joy to behold for us as staff and in turn, it boosts staff morale, driving us forward to ensure we are doing all we can for our patients in acute hospital settings.” Hospital staff were impressed by the mood and alertness of the patients at the sessions.

6. The level of recall The recall was in many cases spectacular, not only of films and personalities, but also of the many cinemas themselves. The ability to request personal film clips and trailers worked well, and the classic musicals were extremely popular.

The provision of cinema-type refreshments triggered memories of the days when the patients attended their local cinemas. Details of prices, ranges and routines were recalled. The main benefits related to the sharing of the cinema experiences, the change in mood and confidence and the amazing depth of the recall. There was clearly a stimulation of memories and experiences which continued when the patients returned to the wards.

7. The patients’ views

Perhaps the most effective feedback is from the hospital patients themselves. These were given by ward staff and were entirely unsolicited. “I took a few booklets on old cinemas in Glasgow for my friends when they come to visit me.” “When is the next Screen Memories taken place? Can we have one again next week?” “This has been the best day I’ve had in years” “I remember there were over 90 cinemas in Glasgow, me and my friends would get dressed up for the pictures”

“This has been a joy” “That Elizabeth Taylor (pointing to card)- she was fond of wedding cake her” “You’ve made my Doris Day.”

Carers reported that their relatives had so much to talk about at visiting time after attending, and they were recalling cinema visits also.

3. FURTHER WORK PLANNED

a. Age Ranges

We are aware of the need to produce more materials for those living with early

onset dementia, as well as young-onset dementia. At present most of our

material covers the period from 1940 to 1970, and we need to identify more

recent films and stars to suit a younger group of service users.

b. Projection Equipment

We are also aware of the need to provide access to mini-cinema kits of a

superior quality to enable a better cinema-style experience. Possible

partnerships with community cinema groups and related charitable enterprises

will be considered.

c. Sensory Impairment

We have been aware of the need to extend the range of our stimulus materials

for those who have sensory impairment and we are actively seeking

partnerships to produce Braille versions of our Screen Memories cards as well

as audio versions of iconic films. Working with specialist agencies, we hope to

adapt our project to suit different audiences.

d. Themed Screening Events

We staged our first themed event using the Screen Machine when it visited Newtonmore. The theme was Shinty, using archive material from our colleagues in the Moving Image Archive, and we hope to develop further specialist events to cover local geographical communities or special interests such as Sport, Transport, Industry and Agriculture.

e. Films in languages other than English

The current project has focused on film in the English language, with a significant emphasis on the Golden Age of Cinema in Britain and the USA. While this reflects the main cinema interest of the people currently in our groups, we need to be aware of the need for resource material to work more effectively with people whose main film experience is in another country, and with films in a language other than English.

f. Physical Activity

Current research stresses the need for more physical activity in older age. It has been observed that films, especially Musicals, can trigger spontaneous outbursts of song. We are looking to partner with organisations who might be able to link our reminiscence work with adapted forms of dance for people with limited physical mobility. We are aware of pioneering work with people who are living with Parkinson’s disease.

g. Cognitive stimulation.

We have tried to pilot activities where people in the groups are given opportunities to sing famous songs, with or without song-sheets, and to act out short iconic scenes from films from a given script. The joy and sense of achievement was obvious, and we will continue to explore these opportunities.

h. Cinema Community

We will continue to try to persuade the cinema promoters that people living with dementia would gain enormously from visiting their local cinema, but that certain refinements would be needed. The current vogue for “dementia-friendly” screenings may not be the answer. Subdued lighting and an interval are small steps, but attention needs to be given to timing, access, content, sound, signage and several other factors.

i. Inter- Generational Projects

The early indications are that school students and older people benefit when they can interact to discuss their common experiences of film, cinema and famous stars. While school students have a good knowledge of the literature and music of the time frames we are working with (1940-1970), their awareness of the film of that period is less impressive. Older people can act as “tutors” and provide first hand accounts to enable school students to research the period.

j. Film Heritage

Similarly, older people can provide details of the actual cinemas themselves- their locations, staffing, seating, costings and famous events or personalities. This would assist those engaged in research for local history projects. A joint school- care home-hospital project on Film Heritage could provide worthwhile.

k. Partnerships

We will continue to work with organisations and charities in the relevant sectors of older peoples’ health and welfare, education, cinema, culture and local and national government. In times of limited funding we believe there is a greater need for partnership development.

l. Libraries

With many local libraries under threat due to cut-backs and financial restrictions, we will work with appropriate agencies to explore a role for libraries as local centres for older people, community groups and film, including film reminiscence.

m. Remote and Island communities

Not everyone living with dementia will be able to access groups and share cinema experiences. We will continue to look at ways of making our project accessible to those in remote, rural and isolated communities, either through DVD provision, podcasts, on-line programmes and helplines.

n. Research

The project has shown the need for effective and meaningful research into the processes involved in reminiscence through the medium of film. Key areas might be factors relating to timing, stimulation, language, coping mechanisms,

group dynamics and duration of recall. At present, most of the evaluation we have is anecdotal-testimonies from staff and carers and the people themselves, although we have captured some effective video footage.

o. Funding partnerships

The key factor for the survival and further development of the project is future funding.

p. Towards Cultural Heritage Scotland?

We would like, in partnership with others, to explore the possibility of a Cultural

Heritage Scotland co-operative along the lines of Sports Heritage Scotland to

enable joint working in the provision of resources to supplement reminiscence

activities.

4. KEY LESSONS LEARNED

At this end of funding report, we would like to record the wider lessons and

implications which can be drawn from the project so far.

a. Beyond “Dementia-Friendly Cinema”

Our approach, using compilation DVDs which mix archive material, period

adverts, and trailers and extracts for classic films, is a practical complement

and alterative to ‘dementia-friendly screenings’ which are, in any event,

rightly becoming branded, more often, as ‘relaxed screenings’.

b. Dementia Plus

Our work to date opens the possibility of a more inclusive approach,

reaching beyond the community of those living with dementia, to the much

wider constituency of older people experiencing isolation and loneliness.

Cinema-going can be the easiest and most familiar social activity for those

who are otherwise cut off from their community. Recognising and valuing an

individual’s screen memories can be an important way of reasserting their

identity, whether or not they are affected by dementia.

c. Support and enthusiasm

We have experienced unanimous enthusiasm for our work at local, regional

and national levels, with many more potential partners than we can work

with in the duration of this pilot.

Screen-based memory work, whether using a full-scale cinema, a data

projector, or even just a TV or computer screen, has enormous potential to

be both inclusive and effective, and a means of engaging with much wider

themes of memory and identity.

d. Organisational Potential

Potentially, the best way to organise and service such work, to meet the

demand that we are experiencing, would be through a regional network

supported by a small central, and professional, agency. A possible parallel

model would be the Gaelic fèisean movement, and the central role of

Fèisean nan Gàidheal.

e. Beyond Film

Our work has firmly demonstrated the powerful link between film, as a medium,

and the way that memory works. Our ambassador, Mark Cousins, believes that

the very form of narrative film itself is closely related to the functions of

memory.

Film as a medium thus becomes a means of stimulating memory across the

widest range of cultural themes, from Theatre and Dance to Travel and Food.

We are becoming more aware of the inter-connection of shared reminiscence

activities in Culture and the Arts and would like, in partnership with others, to

explore the possibility of a Cultural Heritage Scotland co-operative along the

lines of Sports Heritage Scotland to enable joint working in the provision of

resources to supplement reminiscence activities.

The biggest concern is that the support and help that is being provided to those

in the groups would end without continued funding.

Finally

Our work has been acknowledged by the Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and

External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop MSP.

In May 2018, we established Screen Memories as a S.C.I.O. and we have been

registered with OSCR. We have established a Trustees group and started to develop

a Business Plan, based on an assumption of future funding and income generation.

Screen Memories gratefully acknowledges the financial support received from

Life Changes Trust for the duration of the pilot project.