IMPROV FOR CAREGIVERS receives a grant from the New Hampshire State Council On The Arts

The New London Barn Playhouse received a Healthcare Arts Grant from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts to continue and expand its Improv for Caregivers program through a larger umbrella program titled Improv for a Cause.

“Improv for a Cause” will feature two communication programs that use a similar process to reach diverse communities. The first, Improv for Caregivers, in partnership with Lake Sunapee Region VNA & Hospice, is a series of communication workshops for caregivers of loved ones with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The second, Improv for Bystanders, is a partnership with Turning Points Network (TPN) and supports TPN bystander training in high schools through improvised scenarios about healthy and unhealthy relationships.

Improv for Caregivers began as a request from a Barn Playhouse patron who saw a need for connections and strategies for caregivers in the community. After a pilot in spring 2023, the Barn Playhouse began hosting a month-long workshop featuring guest speakers specializing in different areas of caregiving. The series has expanded to locations in New London, Newport, and Claremont, and the continuing series will now include events in Concord and Lebanon.

Each improvisation workshop session combines insights from healthcare professionals with improvisational theatre techniques to develop new communication skills, coping strategies, relationship flexibility and understanding of loved ones’ changing perspectives. Under the guidance of the VNA and community caregivers, a team of actors prepares short scenarios that depict situations caregivers often encounter, such as sunsets, taking car keys, cooperating with care staff and hallucinations.

During the play-through of these scenarios, the actors pause to take suggestions from the audience, acting out the different strategies in real time. Each scenario is followed by a discussion where caregivers in the audience can share their own experiences, successes and challenges. The workshops typically end with a discussion on caregiver self-care and an opportunity for participants to ask questions of the healthcare professionals.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 26,500 people age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s in New Hampshire, and the number of family caregivers is growing. “As a home care agency, our staff sees patients and families struggling with the challenges of Alzheimer’s and other dementias every day,” said Jim Culhane, president and CEO of Lake Sunapee Region VNA & Hospice. “After seeing such a positive impact on caregivers in the area over the past year, we are excited to continue our partnership with Barn Playhouse so that even more families can benefit from Improv for Caregivers.”

Improv for Bystanders uses the same model of improvised scenarios and acting out audience suggestions, but the performers are teens. Turning Points staff learned about Improv for Caregivers and saw an opportunity to connect with students in a more authentic and engaging way. Many of the videos embedded in their healthy relationships and audience training are outdated and no longer resonate with current high school students. Improv for Bystanders uses real teen actors to make the relationship situations more realistic, relatable, and tangible. Students can interact with the scenes in real time and offer their own suggestions for acting out. They can even take the stage themselves to practice communication strategies in a safe space.

Student actors in the Improv for Bystanders program receive a stipend from the grant, as well as training and guidance from TPN staff. Most of the work will be done in partnership with Stevens High School in Claremont, but some scripts will be filmed for TPN for use in future training when live actors are not available.

“Beyond teaching practical skills, Improv for Caregivers has shown us the power of sharing vulnerable experiences and creating a community of support, and we’re excited to expand the program model to other topics that can be difficult to discuss,” said Sage Tokach, Barn Playhouse’s director of education. “It’s amazing to have this opportunity to pay students to learn valuable skills about healthy relationships while using the arts to raise awareness and make the topic a little less taboo.”

Improv for Bystanders currently has no scheduled events open to the public, but the new Improv for Caregivers series is free and open to all interested participants. Fall dates and locations are set, and spring dates will be announced later this year.

● Wednesday, October 9 from 10:30 a.m. to noon: Improv Workshop at the Fleming Center’s Barn Playhouse with special guest Lynne Neuwirt, VNA Occupational Therapist. This session will discuss the differences between the types of dementia and their common care strategies.
● Tuesday, November 5, 10:00–11:30 a.m.: Improvisational workshop at Granite Ledges in Concord on navigating the holidays while caring for a loved one with dementia.
● Tuesday, December 3, 10:00–11:30 a.m.: Improvisational workshop at the Upper Valley Senior Center in Lebanon on caring for people with dementia in different stages, from early diagnosis to late-stage care.

Thanks to the grant, all upcoming Improv for Caregivers programs will be free. Space is limited, so attendees will still be asked to RSVP on the Barn Playhouse website (www.nlbarn.org/adult-learning). If any session reaches capacity, a waiting list will be created.

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