Abstract:
The research sought to find out the art of the discharged mental patients who were once
inmates of the Kumasi rehabilitation centre Cheshire Home Edwenase, who were taught
art activities in textiles by the researcher and has been discharged to their respective
communities. The scope of the research was limited tothe art of the discharged mental
patients which involves a follow up of some selected discharged mental patients who
were once inmates in theKumasi Rehabilitation Centre (Cheshire Home) Edwenase
whom I taught some art activities in textiles at the rehabilitation centre from the year
2008-2010, now living within the southern part of the country (Kumasi, Cape Coast,
Accra, Sunyani, and Takoradi). To solve this problem, an in-depth interview with the
discharged mental patients, the administrator, Chief Psychiatric Nurse and staff of the
home were conducted. Participant and non-participant observation as well as experiments
were made. The main findings of the research which have been expounded by
photographs of selected works of the discharged mental patientsshow that the
environment, their state and their intensity of illness did not affect their creativity. Then
the government can make a policy that all mentally challenged patients should be given a
vocational training at the various psychiatric hospitals and units. This will reduce the
stress that they will go through if they are bored and idle in the house and may end up
back to the psychiatric Hospital.The findings and recommendation made on these patients
will serve as a useful source of information for the psychiatric hospitals, rehabilitation
centers and occupational therapist in the country and the general public.
Description:
A THESIS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC EDUCATION, SCHOOL OF
CREATIVE ARTS, SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF GRADUATE
STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA IN PARTIAL
FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (ARTS AND CULTURE) DEGREE.
AUGUST, 2018