Leading to Change Digital Community Event: Exploring how learning something new can inspire, motivate, and reinvigorate us and those we care for

This event is in the past. Recordings of the speakers will be available soon.

But why can’t the language for creativity be the language of regeneration? ~ Ocean Vuong, Poet (On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous)

Join us for our 6^th event of this series where we focus on innovating to positively influence care using learning as a vehicle. This is part of our leadership theme of Creativity & Innovation.

This event brings you a real-life story of creativity and innovation in care and how fun lessons in language have brought about better outcomes for older people and people with dementia in residential care and community settings.

We will hear directly from Rosi and Andrea about the impact their involvement has had on them and on those they’ve worked with and their families, as they came together to improve memory health whilst also providing fun and connection in what can be a difficult time.

“This community event is an opportunity to find out more about how people in care, including those with degenerative brain disease, can benefit from engaging with other languages and cultures to improve their general wellbeing and mental health. Andrea from Lillyburn Care Home in Kirkintilloch and Rosi from the Glasgow-based charity Lingo Flamingo will share their experiences of using language learning as a non-medical intervention in care homes, where they saw first-hand the power of languages in action with everyone involved, from services users to staff and family members, witnessed improvements in the service users’ quality of life. Both presenters will share some tips and tricks on how this can be done in any care setting – even with very little knowledge of another language.” Sylvia Warnecke, Open University

This event is open to all, and we would welcome those from social work, social care, third, voluntary sectors and health to come, hear and share your thoughts.

You will be able to record this event as 90mins of development in our new ‘My Learning’ page in the Leading to Change app and use this for any external CPD.

We welcome into the conversation:

Andrea Campbell

Role:

Activity Coordinator, Lillyburn Care Home

Andrea Campbell works as an Activities Coordinator at Lillybank Care Home in Kirkintilloch near Glasgow, where she mainly works with people at different stages of dementia. After a long career as a nursery nurse, Andrea moved on to work with the elderly in 2018, initially as a carer with Pacific Care. When the opportunity arose, she further developed her skills to become an activities coordinator as she recognised the immense potential of engaging service users in care homes in a wide range of activities to enhance their wellbeing. Her experiences in nurseries stand her in good stead in this work where she sees many synergies in how the activities she designs can have a significant positive impact on the people she works with. She has also upskilled colleagues in her care home in this area.

Rosi Mele

Role:

Lingo Flamingo Tutor Development Manager

Rosi was born and bred in Pompeii, Italy, but chose to make bonnie Scotland her forever home in 2007. A Modern Languages and Arts graduate at the Open University, Rosi believes languages and cultures are powerful tools to broaden personal horizons and enhance physical and mental wellbeing. As an experienced Lingo Flamingo tutor, she has supported many care providers in offering accessible and engaging language sessions to older adults, including those living with dementia. As a development manager her ongoing aspiration is to raise awareness and facilitate access to the amazing cognitive benefits of learning a foreign language, at any age.

With a focus on storytelling and reflections, our contributors will share their experiences and collectively, we’ll explore what this means for us, in our own workplaces and in our day-to-day roles using breakout groups.

Questions for us to consider:

• Where have you seen or experienced learning as a creative tool or as something that has motivated or inspired?
• What barriers are there to using learning to bring about creativity and engagement?
• What kind of learning could open up possibilities in your areas of care?
• Where have you used, however formal or informal, to open up conversations or creativity or change?
• What hints or tips would you like to share or receive as part of this conversation

Resources to consider:

If you would like to consider this topic in advance of the event, we recommend any one of these external, resources to read, watch or listen to. They are quite different and are offered as optional thought-provokers for those who like to get into the topic in advance. Click on the title below to find out more.

As we have limited time to hear from our contributors, we offer these resources to give you an understanding of the programme.

• 6 mins watch – Andrea’s Open University Course with Lingo Flamingo at Lillyburn Care Home – YouTube
• 2 mins watch – Lingo Flamingo – YouTube
• 2 min read – Learning languages with senior learners | OpenLearn Create
• 29 mins listen – Brainwaves – Series 5 – Dr Thomas Bak – BBC Sounds