Amana Living helps our residents and clients achieve enriching lives, in a way that’s meaningful to them.

By providing environments in which older people can participate, engage and connect, our Enrichment Program encourages healthy, active living.

The program includes the following award-winning initiatives:

• Project Picasso sees residents and clients living with dementia producing artworks with the help of Amana Living staff and volunteers.
• The Wii World Cup is a virtual tenpin bowling competition open to teams in all care centres, day clubs and retirement villages. Teams compete in Wii bowls, supported by staff as needed, and prizes are awarded in three categories.
• Windows to the World is a net-surfing activity that takes older people on journeys of reminiscence and exploration. Staff assist, following the lead of residents and clients as they roam the virtual world together.

In addition to these projects, Amana Living is employing iPad apps, games, audiovisuals, communications and connectivity. Staff help residents and clients to use the iPads to connect through conversation, sensory activities, or exploration of their original cultures, languages and histories.

Tune into Life is an innovative program designed by Amana Living to help older people with dementia reconnect with loved ones and memories through music. It involves the creation of personalised playlists which are loaded onto iPods and played via earphones to shut out extraneous noise. Music therapy can help improve dementia symptoms and wellbeing according to researchers. Residents and clients who have taken part in Tune into Life are happier and enjoy better relationships with their family, as well as our staff.

The next step has been to look more closely at individual participation and consider customised, site-based programs for those who don’t fully participate in the Enrichment Program.

A Lifestyle Coordinator creates a profile of each resident, with input from families and staff, to give an overall picture of their needs and preferences. These are used to inform individual and group activity planning.

The result is a coherent Lifestyle and Leisure Program, which includes the enrichment initiatives. So far, the most popular activities are music concerts, art, exercise classes – and Bingo! The important aspect of this program is choice.

So far, this program runs at Peter Arney Home, Lady McCusker Home and St George’s Home. Amana Living plans to roll out the Lifestyle and Leisure Program to our other care centres.

The Amana Living Arts Festival is a six-week creative ageing event for Amana Living’s residents and clients from residential care, transition care, home care and retirement living.

The annual program provides a cornucopia of artistic experiences and adventures including dance, music, puppetry, creative writing, poetry, and drama. It involves individual artists as well as the State’s key arts organisations including Art Gallery of WA, Black Swan State Theatre Company and WA Symphony Orchestra.

It is the only event of its kind in Western Australia and celebrates life, learning and friendships. Our vision is to make arts and cultural events inclusive of all ages and abilities, while transforming the way the arts are used within aged care to enrich lives.

The 2019 Amana Living Arts Festival ran from 11 February to 22 March.

To see highlights from the 2018 Arts Festival - click here.