OASIS (Art for the socially isolated scheme) review

The OASIS pilot project was a partnership between two charities: Paintings in Hospitals and Sue Ryder.

Paintings in Hospitals (PiH) ‘aims to transform the UK’s health by using world-class art to inspire better health and wellbeing for patients, carers, and communities.’ Fundamentally, they believe ‘art makes lives better.’ Sue Ryder is a British palliative, neurological and bereavement charity that supports ‘people through the most difficult time of their lives’. Sue Ryder also provides support for remote day patients who can live independently and receive care within their home. Art is beneficial in the promotion of health and wellbeing and there is growing evidence of its positive impact on social isolation and loneliness, life-affecting physical and mental health conditions, trauma, etc. Studies have highlighted the prominence of anxiety and depression among people experiencing life-limiting conditions.
The OASIS pilot project aimed to enrich the lives of people with life-limiting conditions through art and creative engagement, in a unique partnership between Paintings in Hospitals & Sue Ryder. It involved pairing befriending volunteers with remote day patients (participants) and was designed to be delivered within participants’ homes. Participants were invited to view artworks digitally and to make an art response using a range of materials. Volunteers introduced the artworks, facilitated engagement, discussions, and artmaking.
Its objectives included:
– enhancing participants’ quality of life through supporting their creativity.
– facilitating personal reflective and expressive discussions that may not be happening at this stage of life.
– alleviating feelings of isolation and loneliness through the support of befriending volunteers.

Feedback gathered in evaluation forms and in discussions with participants and volunteers was overwhelmingly positive and ratings showed that:
– the home-delivered sessions were accessible, enjoyable, and worthwhile.
– participants enjoyed the art-viewing and artmaking, and learning new things about art.
– participants had found the befriending volunteers helpful.
– participants would recommend the sessions to friends and family.
Importantly, participants also reported that the sessions had improved their mood & feelings at the time. Participants were facing some existential issues potentially affecting them deeply emotionally. Engagement in the process gave them some space to take their minds off this, and although this was temporary, it provided a welcome relief: ‘Doing something different, gave me a chance to concentrate and try something new. Time flew by and conversation flowed easily whilst we were working.’
Their engagement in the process was evidenced by their creative outputs (see selection of artworks below) which extended the art viewing process and encouraged them to explore and experiment with a wide range of art materials.

Befriending volunteers also enjoyed delivering the sessions and found that these also impacted their own connection with creativity. As this was a new approach, a process of learning together seemed to benefit participants and volunteers: ‘I was nervous about the project not really knowing what to expect. However, I and the Sue Ryder volunteer learnt together.’ (participant).
The volunteers’ perception of the impact of the sessions on participants’ moods and feelings also echoed the latter’s ratings: ‘Lots of reminiscing and discussion during the session. A real sense of calmness whilst we were doing the activity in contrast to her (participant’s) busy week of doctor’s appointments, etc.’ (befriending volunteer).

Read the full report here:

evaluationoasis.pdf