Reflected Legacy : Palliative Care Hospital Program

Recording life stories in the final days and weeks of a human life

Insight

Connection. Insight. Healing.

When we tell our stories, it gives us a way of sharing and reflecting upon the life we are living. Free expression and storytelling in this setting offers a deepened sense of connection to the value and meaning of our individual and shared life experiences.

It can bring comfort, celebration and beauty during a challenging time in our lives, encouraging the recall of memories and key points in our life that we have felt free, joyous, loving and loved, strong and hopeful. By remembering what we have done and seeing the powerful nature of our human experience, it can help empower us to find the strength and bravery we might desire now.

Idea

Reflected Legacy is an award winning arts and health program at Liverpool Hospital. This project complements the holistic care of cancer patients in palliative care, while enhancing and changing the physical environment for patients, families and staff on the ward.

Pressographers host Pressing Sessions in patient rooms; profound, interactive experiences between the artist and the patient that combine storytelling and art making. Through a series of questions and storytelling exercises the Pressographer captures the life stories of people in the last days and weeks of their life in unique Life Pressing artworks and sound recordings, that are then given to the patient and their family as a gift of art and legacy.

Impact

“This project has helped place humanity where it belongs - right at the heart of our ward.”

— Dr. Jennifer Wiltshire | Director Palliative Care, Liverpool Hospital

Winner NSW Health LHD Quality Award for Enhancing Patient Experience through the Arts

Awarded Dry July Beneficiary Fund $30,000 and $50,000 arts heath funding

Awarded Creative Partnerships Australia $8,000 arts health funding

Guest presentations at International Arts Health Conference, Art Gallery of NSW; Palliative Care NSW Biannual Conference, Broken Hill; and RPA, Liverpool Hospital and Concord Hospital Palliative Care Education Forums

This powerful experience, when taken into the palliative care space, provides tangible outcomes:

– patients report improvements to their mood, pain management, appetite and sleep patterns; families report feeling uplifted and more connected; and

– staff report new insights into patient care and a greater sense of care, support and resilience within the ward environment

My role on this project encompassed:

• Conceptual Development
• Creative Direction
• Brand Strategy
• Health & Therapeutic Design
• Therapeutic Practitioner
• Experiential Design
• Writer
• Educator
• Speaker
• Graphic Design
• Visual Artist