Interests
Karin Diamond
Artistic Director
There is a great need for imaginative, high quality solutions in the field of dementia, and the growing field of Arts in Health can play a vital role in the journey that lies ahead.
Current Work
Karin is Artistic Director of Re-Live, an innovative Arts in Health organisation, providing creative engagement and devising Life Story theatre with hard to reach communities, including people living with dementia, veterans with complex PTSD, older people and people at the end of life.
Personal Hero
Primary school teacher, Mr Alun Jones
Words of Strength
Innovation and compassion through Arts
Vision
To reduce the scale and impact of dementia, Karin believes we need to create more opportunities for Arts in Health practice to work alongside the clinical world.
Strategy
Karin is creating opportunities for people living with dementia and their families to engage with creative projects that build community, reduce fear and isolation, and improve health and wellbeing. She also designs and delivers experiential training in dementia care, compassionate communication, Life Story work and creative Zoom practice.
Impact
Karin had the opportunity to work alongside world-class neuroscientists, deepening my understanding of dementia. This has given her the confidence and language to further dialogue between the Arts and Science to create opportunities for the disciplines to work together.
Motivation
In Wales there is a growing interest in Arts in Health as a powerful non-pharmalogical intervention to support the health and wellbeing of people living with dementia and their families.
Education & Experience
Karin trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and returned years later to lay the foundations of their outreach drama department. Her love of the arts has seen her work in theatre, film, and television for over 20 years, gaining a wealth of experience in performing, writing, producing, and directing original work. As Artistic Director of Re-Live, Karin has produced and directed 12 Life Story Theatre shows with people living with dementia, veterans with PTSD, older people, and people at the end of life. She is a Winston Churchill Fellow (2010), researching ‘Creativity in Dementia Care’ alongside Dr. Yukimi Uchide in Ofunato, Japan. In 2016, Karin wrote ‘Belonging,’ a play that explores the world of dementia, inspired by the stories from Re-Live's Memoria project. Belonging toured to theatres across Wales and connected health and social care professionals and theatre audiences with the experiences of people living with dementia. The play received an outstanding response from audiences and theatre critics, winning two Theatre in Wales Awards (2017).
Awards & Honors
Theatre in Wales Award for Belonging: A theatre play written by Karin Diamond about families affected by dementia (2017) Arts and Health Practice Award, Royal Society of Public Health: Theatre with military veterans and families (2015) Community Award, Age Cymru: Theatre work with people living with dementia (2015) International Leadership in Arts and Health Award: Arts in Health Australia (2015)
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