practical living
Vivid secrets
Bradfield Senior College students and their teacher , with director of nursing Anne Curnow ( second from left ) and lifestyle officer Lynne Power ( second from right ).
Bradfield Senior College student with Diana Carley . Photos : Hall & Prior
School students explore the rich experiences of residents as part of a pop-up exhibition .
Anne Curnow interviewed by Dallas Bastian
Residents from Hall & Prior recently opened up to students from Bradfield Senior College about their past and the lessons they ’ ve learned over the years as part of a multimedia exhibition tied to Vivid Sydney , a 23-day festival of light , music and ideas .
Two of the provider ’ s north shore homes , Caroline Chisholm Aged Care Home in Lane Cove and Glenwood Aged Care Home in Greenwich , were asked to be a part of the college ’ s project for the 2017 Vivid Ideas Creative Careers program . Year 11 students from the college spent time at the two homes under the supervision of a teacher , interviewing residents Kevin Murphy and Valentine Lowe from Glenwood Aged Care Home , and Geoffrey Murray , Diana Carley , Michael Shaddick and June McKenzie from Caroline Chisholm to find out about their past and achievements .
The end result was the Secrets Exhibition , incorporating photography , film , art , music and installations , which aimed to bridge the years between generations and give a historical and social context to the present .
All residents involved in the project were invited to attend the event . Aged Care
Insite spoke with Anne Curnow , director of nursing at the Caroline Chisholm Aged Care Home , to find out how residents
20 agedcareinsite . com . au enjoyed the exhibition and the chance to share their stories with the younger generation .
ACI : What were residents who agreed to take part in the project asked to do ? AC : They were asked to be interviewed by the students from Bradfield Senior College , and it was known as the Vivid Project . So we selected four residents who could take part and who were interested in being interviewed by the students , and it was a great success .
How did residents feel about sharing their secrets with the students ? It didn ’ t seem to be a problem . Towards the end of the project , one resident said to me , “ It ’ s so nice to be able to tell our story without being judged ,” which says a lot , doesn ’ t it ?
Yes , it does . You attended the event with the residents who took part , what did the final exhibition look like ? It was really interesting . There were only three residents from Caroline Chisholm that attended , plus three staff . We were welcomed with open arms . Students were so excited to show off their college to these residents , because in the various times that they came to Caroline Chisholm to do the interviews there was a very solid relationship building up between student and resident .
What were some of the things residents revealed about themselves through the project ? Out of the four , there was one who talked about the years of travel prior to having to come to our aged care facility . Another resident spent many years in South Africa as a microbiologist , and he had some wonderful stories to tell to the boys . Another one spoke about adopting . She and her husband were unable to have children so they adopted a daughter . The last resident revealed many interesting and horrific things that happened to her in childhood , and years down the track she turned to painting , to art , for comfort when she thought about these things .
How did residents react to seeing themselves as part of this exhibition ? Very normal . It was like , “ Can we do this again ?”
What were some of the highlights for you personally ? For me , it was that the residents were so proud that I had selected them to be involved , and they were so happy that I attended the function for the opening of the Bradfield College Vivid Project . It was the first time Caroline Chisholm had been involved in anything like it , and it was just a good day out .
What was it like for residents interacting with students and being part of the wider community in this way ? It was wonderful . Of course , you know these residents all have grandchildren , and we see them from time to time at Caroline Chisholm with their grandchildren . But it was just special the way they responded to these students . It was like , “ We ’ ve got more grandchildren !” It was just a very beautiful relationship that was built up .
So are residents keen to be involved in more projects like this in the future ? Yes , most certainly , and one of the residents that did come to the opening was not involved , as she was only a very new resident at the time , but we took her to see it , and she ’ s definitely put her name down to be involved next year . So it was a very good , very positive response . For a resident to say to me , “ It ’ s so lovely to be able to talk , to feel free to tell my story without being judged ,” was really the highlight . It summed up the whole day . ■