{
  "abstract": "Background We all want to live well. For those with a life-limiting illness, this means attending to unique physical, psychological, emotional, social and spiritual needs (Wee. Living well until we die. [blog post]. NHS England. [internet] 2017 Oct 9). There is now a demand for increased access to community-based arts initiatives (Mughal, Polley, Sabey, et al. How arts, heritage and culture can support health and wellbeing through social prescribing. NASP; 2022) to meet these needs. We therefore began an artmaking project – the Create and Relax Group – in the hospice where we work or volunteer. We co-developed session content with patients, following a patient-centred care approach (NHS England. Co-production. [internet]).Aim The group aimed to provide patients with:An opportunity to co-create an art experience.A safe space for relaxation, experimentation and self-exploration.Companionship and connection with peers.Method We undertook a collaborative service evaluation to understand the group’s effectiveness. We used:Focus group discussions with patients and staff.Patient wellbeing scores, before and after each art-making session, as recorded on the validated Distress Thermometer (Graham-Wisener, Dempster, Sadler, et al. Palliat Med. 2021;35(1):120-129).Results Co-designing session content allowed participants a sense of freedom and control sometimes diminished in their lives by terminal illness. The immersive nature of the art-making gave participants a respite from life’s difficulties, with the before and after session Distress Thermometer readings decreasing in 100% of cases. Particularly welcome was the opportunity to focus on the here and now, rather than on prognoses or the practicalities of attending multiple appointments. The sense of connection and collective group endeavour allowed for new perspectives and a regeneration of energy.Conclusion This evaluation demonstrates the intrinsic satisfaction of being at one with the activity of making. It is a practical illumination of Csikszentmihalyi’s concept of ‘flow’ (Flow – the secret to happiness? TED 2004 Feb [online video]), achieved here through valuing process over product. This experience, combined with a co-production approach to session content, can lead to a developing sense of wellbeing and control, both in the moment and beyond. This is extremely valuable to those living with a life-limiting illness.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Garden House Hospice Care, Letchworth Garden City, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Amanda Roberts"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Garden House Hospice Care, Letchworth Garden City, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Kirstie Pollard"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Garden House Hospice Care, Letchworth Garden City, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Andrea Murauskas"
    }
  ],
  "title": "P-36 Exploring learning from co-producing collaborative art in a hospice support group",
  "uid": "aa17e1e0-0497-53a0-8db8-a7b6dab1e469"
}