“Fluffy” was made out of salvaged and upcycled materials.
Regional arts organisation Arts OutWest have a new member of staff: and it’s a dog.
A puppet dog. ‘Fluffy’ is an arts-in-aged-care support dog puppet which will be used in aged and dementia care around the NSW Central West. Regional arts development organisation Arts OutWest have opened their Cultural Fund to donations to support that work.
But why a dog puppet? “We’ve just finished a four-year long program called Virtual Art Snacks, linking artists with aged care residents in rural Multi-Purpose Health Services,” said Arts OutWest executive director Kylie Shead. “During the program the conversations and art making would often turn to pets. Long gone pets; pets that had to be rehomed when people moved into aged care; the importance of these physical and emotional connections when you live in aged care.”
Arts OutWest commissioned puppeteer and artist Kay Yasugi from Pupperoos to hand-make Fluffy. The puppet comes with a sensory blanket, a heat pad for inside her tummy (so you can feel the real warmth of a pet), a grooming kit and toys.
Fluffy is designed to be taken into aged care by a trained performer who can interact with residents in regular visits, perhaps creating new stories, art or performances together with the dog as the centre of this experience; or perhaps just quietly interacting. “We hope the puppet will be a spark of creativity to generate joy, conversations and connections between residents, staff and carers,” Ms Shead said.
“This is not yet funded work, but we know it will be a hugely valuable extension of our arts and health program. There are aged care facilities in the Western NSW Local Health District already keen and a few thousand dollars will enable pilot programs this year. We’re now looking for donations to make this happen.”
Arts OutWest plan to run pilot programs in the coming months. They are also open to working with services on a fee-for service basis. Donate to the Arts OutWest Cultural Fund via the artsoutwest.org.au website.