Sharing the benefits of creative arts with people with younger onset dementia.
Alison Ward
Associate Professor in Dementia Research at the University of NorthamptonThe Universities of Derby and Northampton have recently shared the outcome of an Arts and Humanities Research Council funded project on the benefits of using creative arts with people living with younger onset dementia. At their event on the 18th September at the Enterprise Centre in Derby, the team celebrated the culmination of an innovative creative arts-based approach to assisting individuals with younger onset dementia and their families to enhance interpersonal engagement and personhood.
Addressing the Unique Challenges of Younger Onset Dementia
The project was born out of the expertise of its leads, Associate Professor Clive Holmwood, Dr Gemma Collard-Stokes and Associate Professor Alison Ward. They are skilled in the areas of drama therapy, dance and movement, dementia and storytelling, respectively. This has led to the development of an initiative aimed at those under the age of 65 living with a diagnosis of dementia. The rationale for this focus was to explore the specific needs of this age group, who often lack specific community-based services that meet their needs.
There are an estimated 70,800 people living with young onset dementia in the UK, a rise of a 28,800 (69%) since 2014. People in this age group are often still working, have young families, may be caring for elderly relatives, and are physically fit and active. This diagnosis can have a significant impact on an individual and a family’s life, with reported loss of interaction with family and friends, loss of work and feelings of isolation, depression and loss of self-esteem.
There are few dedicated services that support people at this younger age with dementia or their families. The aim of this project was to draw on the creative arts (dance, drama, music and visual art) to pilot a new intervention to offer support and stimulation specifically to a younger group.
Creative Arts as a Therapeutic Intervention
The project ran two 10-week workshops. These used creative arts to provide a stimulating, fun and playful way of working with this group. The workshops were based on the underpinning theory of Neuro Dramatic Play (NDP), created by Dr Sue Jennings. NDP is an attachment-based intervention that uses a range of sensory, rhythmic, arts and dramatic play-based approaches. Through the sessions participants explored their creativity through art, puppetry, movement, music, storytelling and poetry, culminating in a performance to showcase the skills they acquired. An example of a group poem created on the theme of nature can be heard on our website.
The project has uncovered valuable data emphasising the importance of encouraging people to be creative and imaginative. The key findings highlight the way arts can support identity, communication and attachment with others. Other benefits were noted as a boost in confidence, improved quality of life and ownership. Furthermore, the learning from this pilot study provides ways to improve and widen the delivery so it can support a wider number of individuals. It has also emphasised the need for age specific services for those living with dementia that are community-based and provide an opportunity to engage in playful and engaging activities.
‘I feel fulfilled by it, … I enjoyed it, I thought it was interesting, [a] good place, … [and] looked forward to it. I am missing it, that is the big thing, …. It made us happy’
(Participant with dementia commenting on attending the workshops)
Next Steps: The Knowledge Café Initiative
The aim for the project is to now connect with others to expand on the delivery of this approach. We will do this by hosting a Knowledge Café to start exploring connections and develop a network of individuals and organisations to work collaboratively on the next stages of this work.
For any questions about the Knowledge Café or for more information about the Creative Arts project, please email the team at CDRG@derby.ac.uk or visit our website: https://cdrguk.wordpress.com/
To find out more about Curia’s Dementia Commission, please click here. A new report, outlining Curia UK’s Dementia Sprint which took place in Northamptonshire, will be published this month. For more information on how to become a HCLS Research Group Subscriber, please email team@curiauk.com for more information.