Good Company
Good Company is a unique form of creative dementia care, supporting vulnerable people living with dementia alongside their family carers in Brentwood, Essex.
What we wanted to achieve
Our long-term partnership project between artistic organisations and key local support services, offers an innovative solution to closing the health inequality gap for those in the community living with dementia. It aims to give them greater agency, interaction and engagement with their carers, families, local communities and services.
What we did
We launched the project with Brentwood Theatre in Autumn 2023 and the clear impact on participants and the success of the Good Company model was immediately obvious.
We worked with partners to design the project as a prevention and early intervention programme to support and prolong independent living for those living with dementia. Participants are referred by the Alzheimer’s Society or similar community based organisations, as part of their support for vulnerable people in Essex.
Participants attend a weekly creative group in eight week blocks. They are immersed in a range of stimulating arts activities, from reminiscence arts to dance, songs, orchestral music and co-creation, whilst exploring wellbeing, identities and relationships between family carers and those they care for.
The sessions blend social contact and interaction in a safe space, as well as offering pastoral care and support the mental wellbeing of all participants, including carers. This is coupled with a vibrant mix of creative arts activity to support cognitive reablement, confidence and positivity, self-expression, self-identity, and connectivity to others. Physical health is also supported with participation in dance helping to prevent falls, increase fitness and aid recovery to prevent hospital readmission within an informal care setting.
At the end of each periodic block, we work with our partners on a finale day where the Good Company celebrates their work in an informal sharing day at the Theatre.
Good Company has developed beyond its initial run on 2023 to a current total of four courses in Brentwood as well as extending to Rochford district with a course at The Mill Arts Centre, Rayleigh.
Good Company has contributed to Brentwood Theatre becoming a creative hub for people with dementia and their carers in this area. We have worked with the local arts community to recruit experienced artists from Age Exchange, Green Candle Dance and Sinfonia Viva to deliver the sessions. Two locally-based assistant music leaders joined the artistic team to develop their skills in this area of collaborative creative health work, to help sustain the activity in Brentwood beyond the life of the current project.
“A Journey to the unknown
Dementia is so unknown
It’s lonely but there’s help around
With friends and with family and carers too
The Alzheimer's Society is there for you
Now this Good Company is something new
It’s so important to be with you
To be with you.”
Lyrics to a co-curated song written by D, a carer.
Outcomes
- Feedback from participants shows Good Company has built confidence, self-belief, and independence.
- Participation in the project has led to improved relationships between those living with dementia and their carers, bringing joyful experiences to them.
- ‘Mood-check’ charts demonstrated that sessions had a significant and positive impact on how participants were feeling at the end of the day compared to the start.
- The artistic team involved, particularly the assistant music leaders, developed and enhanced their practice and empathetic approach to building connections with people through their art form.
- Watch our online presentation to learn more about the project and hear from participants.
We did enjoy the meeting and I was amazed at Alan. He actually sang "Abie my boy" and got a round of applause. I didn't know he knew the words, it was a song his father always sang, I think he surprised himself. If you knew Alan, singing a song to strangers was the last thing he would ever do, I was so pleased. He must have felt comfortable and the staff were so kind.
~ Margaret (partner of Alan who lives with dementia)
I have really appreciated Good Company. I hadn’t wanted to come, and cried all day the first time, but I have come to really enjoy it
~ Participant living with dementia
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Good Company: adapting the model
From early 2027, with support from Essex County Council’s Arts and Cultural Fund, we will deliver a new block of Good Company in Rayleigh at the Todnam Centre, building on the legacy project established there by Dance Network Association.
This iteration adopts a lighter delivery model. While the programme will continue to be underpinned by the reminiscence arts approach developed with Age Exchange, music and movement sessions will alternate weekly. This will allow greater focus on each element while also supporting the programme’s long-term sustainability as we explore opportunities to develop and replicate the model both within and beyond Essex.
As in previous phases of the project, strengthening the local workforce remains a key priority. Trainee roles have been created to support local artists to further develop their skills and confidence in delivering the programme independently, helping to build local capacity and ensure the model can be sustained over time.
As an ongoing project legacy, Essex-based Dance Network Association has maintained contact with the participants offering ongoing sessions, based on the Good Company model and delivered by local artists.
Good Company is produced by Orchestras Live in partnership with Sinfonia Viva, Age Exchange, Green Candle Dance, Brentwood Theatre, Brentwood Borough Council, Essex County Council and the Alzheimer’s Society with funding from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
