The Creative Ireland Programme developed and implemented the Creativity in Older Age scheme in 2020 to support specific creative initiatives to support positive ageing and wellbeing programmes for older people, taking account of public health guidance in the community and for healthcare facilities. This initiative has run yearly since its inception and has been renewed for 2023. Isolation continues to affect older citizens particularly in rural areas and this scheme seeks to address this issue by bringing creative engagement to citizens rather than having them seek it out.
Scheme Objectives
In 2023, the Creativity in Older Age scheme will continue to
- support positive ageing,
- engage with issues surrounding social isolation, and/or
- develop and establish new forms of creative engagement for older people in the community and for residential healthcare facilities.
As an acknowledgement of the tremendous work undertaken through local authorities collaborating with live music performers and residential healthcare settings during the pandemic, the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and the Minister for Health have agreed to co-fund successful proposals for live music in residential healthcare facilities. This will be facilitated through the all-of-government programmes in Creative Ireland and Healthy Ireland.
The Creativity in Older Age scheme in 2023 will therefore consist of two separate strands relating to (a) live music performance in residential healthcare settings and (b) other forms of creative engagement in community and/or healthcare settings.
Strand A – Live Music in Residential Healthcare Facilities (total envelope €350,000 co-funded by Creative Ireland and Healthy Ireland)
1. Proposals must be of a demonstrably high quality of live music performance.
2. The proposal must make some provision for a prior consultation to understand local creative needs.
3. Proposals should provide for 3-4 visits to each facility involved.
4. It is anticipated that funding of up to €15,000 can be available for individual local authority proposals, with the maximum available only where there is evidence that the scale is appropriate.
5. Up to three local authorities can collaborate on a proposal and pool available funding in order to realise any available scales of economy, e.g., a collaborative proposal from two local authorities for up to €30,000 or three local authorities for up to €45,000 may be submitted. In such proposals, the economy of scale must be clearly set out.
Strand B – Creative Engagement with Older People (total envelope €350,000)
1. It is anticipated that funding of varying amounts will be awarded of between €10,000 and €20,000 for individual local authority proposals, with the maximum available only where there is evidence that the scale is appropriate.
2. Proposals must be of a demonstrably high quality of creative engagement in its broadest sense (see Appendix for some previously funded examples) although not including live music performance that is co-funded under Strand A).