People of Perley - Andréa Fabricius

For nearly 17 years, Creative Arts Instructor Andréa Fabricius has been thoughtfully redefining what long term care can look like. An artist by training and a teacher by instinct, she works at the intersection of creativity, dignity, and possibility, helping residents rediscover what they can do, even when their minds and bodies have irrevocably changed.

Her path to Perley Health began long before her first day on the job. “Growing up at the kitchen table for dinner every night, I would hear stories about seniors and long-term care,” she says. Her mother worked for the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care while Andréa dreamed of going to art school and becoming an artist. 

 “I always thought, what am I going to do with my art degree?” she recalls. The answer, as it turned out, was closer than she imagined. “My mother always told me about this amazing creative art program here at Perley Health. And who knew it? But here I am.”

Working with older adults felt natural from the start. “I think I've always been drawn to working with seniors,” Andréa says. “I really enjoy the experiences that they bring and the knowledge that they bring to the table. And I also like to teach people who think that they're too old to learn.”

She says that what happens in the creative arts studio is often misunderstood.  

“A lot of people think, ‘Oh, you're just an artist. You get to play with paint all day,'” she explains.. “But there's also therapy that's happening behind the scenes.”

Residents arrive with vision loss, limited mobility, or the effects of a stroke. Andréa's role, she explains, is to help them feel capable again. “It is my role, and the role of my colleagues, to encourage that resident to feel that they can do it and they can accomplish something and feel pride.”

She describes the work as restorative care, and it often requires creativity far beyond the canvas. If a resident becomes frustrated while trying to use their non-dominant hand, Andréa meets them where they are. “I like to toss that paintbrush or that pencil and say, ‘Hey, have you ever painted with a potato masher before? Have you ever painted with a feather?” The rules change, and with them, expectations. 

“Whatever you do with these tools is the right way.” 

Over time, those small shifts can lead to extraordinary outcomes. One resident, once furious and discouraged, eventually learned to paint with his left hand and even sign his name. “I can't keep up with selling his art,” says Andréa. “His art is flying off the shelves. For me, I think that's just the most magical part of the creative art therapy that happens here at Perley.” 

The innovation is constant. “There is no playbook on how to do art with seniors,” she explains. No two people are the same. Everyone has a different history and different abilities. The creative arts team learns by doing, adapting tools and environments through trial and error. “We work with the residents who have these disabilities and make them abilities.” 

Just as important as the art is the connection it creates. Andréa has seen lonely and isolated residents find purpose, friendship, and joy.

She recalls a veteran who was deeply isolated and reluctant to leave his room. One day, he agreed to come to the studio, where he chose to build a birdhouse. When a visitor unexpectedly asked to buy his work,  something shifted. “Well what do you know? He now had a job!” says Andréa. “Every day that gentleman came, he was at the door waiting for us to come to the studio.” 

The freedom to imagine and adapt is something Andréa does not take for granted. 

“I have been so lucky that I get to bring my out-of-the-box, artistic ideas to the table, bring them to my managers or to support services and have the support and have the encouragement to follow through on my ideas that aren't in any textbook anywhere,” she says.  “So, we get to develop new ideas together, visually and artistically. I think that's the magic behind Perley Health, having a team of artists on staff, and I'm just so lucky to be employed as an artist in long-term care.”

Looking ahead, Andréa hopes the therapeutic impact of creative arts will be embraced in other long-term care homes. “I really feel that art and health care should be nationwide,” she says. “I know when it's my turn to be in long-term care, I better have an art studio.”

“We get to develop new ideas together, visually and artistically. I think that's the magic behind Perley Health, having a team of artists on staff, and I'm just so lucky to be employed as an artist in long-term care.” - Andréa Fabricius, Creative Arts Instructor