Theorizing How Art Gallery Interventions Impact People With Dementia and Their Caregivers (original) (raw)
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American journal of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, 2014
To describe the subjective experiences of older adults with early-stage Alzheimer's disease or related cognitive disorders (ADRDs) and their family caregivers who participated in an art museum engagement activity. Four focus groups were conducted with 10 persons with ADRD and 10 family caregivers following the completion of a 1-time, 3-hour engagement activity. Participants also completed a brief satisfaction survey, and associations were examined using nonparametric statistics. Three key themes were identified: cognitive stimulation, social connections, and self-esteem. In addition, we identified programmatic issues such as activity-specific concerns and program logistics that could help improve future art program offerings. Past experience with art and perceived social cohesion were correlated with participants' overall satisfaction with the program. Efforts aimed at improving the quality of life of those with Alzheimer's disease and their family caregivers should cons...
Arts & Health, 2011
Objective: This study aimed to understand the psychological and social aspects of how art-viewing, in a public art gallery, could be used as an activity to support family carers of people with mental health problems. Methods: Using grounded theory methodology, interviews from eight carer-participants and two facilitator-participants were analysed, along with podcasts created from audio-recordings of the gallery sessions. Results: Art-viewing was conceptualised as an experience that engaged carers on emotional, aesthetic and educational levels. Psychological processes such as mentalising, reflexivity and externalising were identified in the responses stimulated by art-viewing. Conclusions: The findings suggest that art-viewing in a group within a gallery setting has the potential to be used more widely as a community-based, low-cost and non-clinical activity to provide social and psychological support for carers of people with mental-health problems.
Dementia, 2016
During a 15-month period between February 2010 and April 2011, video data on ( n = 38) people with dementia were collected during a person-centered and intergenerational arts activity program called Opening Minds through Art (OMA) at three different long-term care facilities in Ohio. A subsample of the OMA participants ( n = 10) were also video recorded during traditional visual arts activities (e.g. coloring books, scrapbooking). A modified version of the Greater Cincinnati Chapter Well-Being Observation Tool© was used to code the intensity and frequency of observed domains of well-being (i.e. social interest, engagement, and pleasure) and ill-being (i.e. disengagement, negative affect, sadness, and confusion). Descriptive results indicate a high percentage of moderate or high intensities of well-being during OMA sessions with little to no ill-being. Paired-sample t-tests comparing OMA vs. traditional visual arts activities showed significantly higher intensity scores for OMA in th...
Dementia, 2018
This paper proposes a paradigm (“Artwork Effect” paradigm) to study the impact of museum stimulation programs for people with dementia. The literature concerning viewing and making art is considered. The paradigm, comprising qualitative and quantitative measures, is illustrated. The implementation of a shared paradigm of assessment can contribute to the validation of an assessment model to evaluate museum stimulation programs for people with dementia: a low-cost nonpharmacological intervention useful for the stimulation of cognitive functions and for increasing the well-being of people with dementia and their caregivers.
A University-Based Art and Object Engagement Program for Dementia Patients and Carers
University museums and Collections Journal, 2022
This paper documents a novel combination of art therapy and reminiscence therapy for people living with dementia and their carers. The Art and Object Engagement program was a collaborative community engagement project between two campus museums involving art and social history collections for a group of people with limited opportunities for cultural engagement. The open-ended, exploratory structure of the program and the rationale for this approach is articulated. A qualitative analysis of the positive impact of the program on participants is outlined. It is also argued that programs such as this, enabling the creative use of material collections in higher education, supports all three missions of the university through a complex ecology of teaching, research and engagement interrelationships.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10598650.2016.1169735 This article focuses on the implementation and evaluation of Art in the Moment, a collaborative program between the Art Institute of Chicago and CJE SeniorLife, a non-profit eldercare organization and service provider for the Chicago area. We joined together to develop and offer Art in the Moment as an arts-based therapeutic and wellness program for older adults living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Anecdotal evidence led us to believe that the program was effectively serving participants, including caregivers, in ways that were positive and self-affirming. However, we also realized that more formal evaluation could help us better assess the efficacy and impact of our efforts. We discovered that the evaluation process presented various opportunities as well as challenges, which we will explore in this article. Lucas Livingston, Gerri Fiterman Persin & Deborah Del Signore (2016) Art in the Moment: Evaluating a Therapeutic Wellness Program for People with Dementia and their Care Partners, Journal of Museum Education, 41:2, 100-109.
2021
This visual essay highlights the impacts of the Nasher Museum of Art’s Reflections program, which engages people with dementia (PWD) and their care partners through interactive art museum tours. This program’s conversation-based tours with built-in time to socialize are designed to foster intergenerational and intragenerational connections between PWD and museum gallery guides, PWD and care partners, and between PWD. Discussions about artwork are visitor-driven and encourage lifelong learning among participants. Anecdotal feedback from Reflections participants and gallery guides confirms the value of relationship building, improving quality of life for PWD. By fostering community and strong connections, Reflections programs help reduce the social isolation that is common among PWD. In addition, such programs for PWD are important because they are tailored to the specific needs of this group. This reduces barriers to socialization, decreases stigma surrounding the condition, and crea...