Violet Care Agency Ltd

IT ALL BEGAN WITH ONE PERSON who dedicated herself to make a difference within the community in which she lived. This person was a Phd. student at the Royal College of Art and as an artist she devoted herself to use the classical principles of craftsmanship, where the craftsman created unique objects for the user, so the user could become bonded with the creation. As every craftsman asks the questions from time to time, so did she: from which materials, what artifacts, and for whom to create?

Her idea was to encase old and used textiles in hand-sized polymer tiles which was extracted from waste products. She proposed that material and meaning were closely connected. And so her assumption was that “the look, feel, touch and smell of the materials alert all the senses”. Therefore she chose as the user group the residents of Alexandra Care Home, who were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

The importance of her unique crafts was not only serving the purpose of changing the “cold clinical” (CQC report) aspect of the care home into a homely environment, but to engage the residents in the process of change throughout a series of workshops where they could create their own polymer tiles in which they could preserve their personal memories.

Preserving memories.
Besides the fragments of memories which come back to life in the form of polymer tiles her main focus was the recreation of a homely environment, within which the elderly is listened, is heard, participating, interacts, and sees the objects which triggers emotions from the past.

Violet Care Agency Ltd. gave full credit for Julie Behseta’s ideas, therefore it fully aligns itself to her believes that homely environments are essential for the elderly, and it will continue promoting the concept of deep tacit knowledge through a series of workshops where all carers and elders will be welcomed, to begin their own journey of reminiscences.