Press Release...

To all my colleagues and new friends in Canada here is the 250 word press release I was telling you about...please comment on how my work may have touched you...or not of course!!

Dancing Doctor Returns from British Columbia!

An exceptionally rewarding Churchill Fellowship 2010 awarded to Dr Richard Coaten of the South West Yorkshire Partnership Foundation Trust, has ended. Having spent a month in Toronto and Vancouver, including attendance at a major international conference on arts and dementia; where he gave a very popular presentation, Richard has returned much inspired. His Fellowship involved studying the use of movement, dance and other ‘embodied’ practices for people with dementia and their care-giver’s. He visited world-leading experts and learnt first-hand about their pioneering efforts researching the importance of ‘going by way of the body in dementia care’. Essentially this seeks to improve quality of life, by better understanding how and why the creative and performing arts give hope and opportunity to all those with a dementing condition.  He visited brain research laboratories meeting leading neuroscientists: worked closely with a specialist care facility providing vital care-giver support: visited a specialist day-centre in Toronto and gave numerous talks and experientially based workshops about his doctoral researches.  He was part of a ‘Round-Table’ discussion in Vancouver seeking to develop dance and health activities throughout British Columbia, bringing together cultural planners, dancers and others including a representative from the British Columbia Arts Council. It was a great success and more are planned. Overall, he learnt much of relevance to the Dance Movement Psychotherapy Service he runs in Calderdale, and would like to take this opportunity to thank both the Churchill Memorial Trust in London and his own employer for this once in a lifetime opportunity.