The creative arts can be utilized within palliative care to facilitate the creation of a legacy project, an object which will reflect the unique experiences and interests of the creator. This can be bestowed to a loved one, thereby providing an opportunity to leave something tangible behind. However, there is a paucity of evidence exploring the impact experienced by those who facilitate the legacy generation session.
Methods:
“From The HEart” is a volunteer operated program that offers creative arts based legacy projects to palliative care patients. Five volunteers were interviewed to understand their personal experiences. Emphasis was placed on any perceived positive or negative impact from this work, and if a self-care program would be required. Interviews were transcribed verbatim into a textual document which was coded by the principal investigator using inductive content analysis to derive overarching themes.
Results:
Five themes emerged from the data: “providing a benefit”, “internal validation”, “it's all been positive”, “self-awareness”, and “if you need support”. All facilitators reported positive experiences, which provided internal validation or confirmation that this work was personally significant to this group. Self-care practises emerged as important, but group activities would only be warranted if requirements couldn't be meet through individual self-care practises.
Significance of Results:
This study provides confirmation that facilitators do not report any negative experiences while assisting a palliative care client in creating a legacy project. These activities can provide meaning while working in the field of palliative care.
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