Impacts of Art Museum-based Dementia Programming on Participating Care Partners

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to describe the impacts of art museum-based dementia programming on participating care partners (CPs). Data were collected through telephone interviews with 29 caregivers who participated in one of three dementia programs: here: now at The Frye Art Museum, Seattle; Meaningful Moments at the Dallas Museum of Art, Texas; and Minds on Art at the Detroit Institute of the Arts, Michigan. CPs reported that the program afforded them multiple benefits for their well-being, including stress relief and reduced feelings of social isolation. Results suggest the value of programs such as these within the growing population affected by dementia.

KEYWORDS:

• Dementia
• Alzheimer’s disease
• art museum-based dementia programming
• care partners
• person with dementia

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

About the authors

Katherine L. Lamar completed her Master of Arts degree in Museology at the University of Washington in June 2015. Prior to moving to Seattle, she spent 10 years in Fayetteville, Arkansas. While there she completed her BFA, BA and worked for a nonprofit performing arts center. She currently lives in Seattle working for the Washington State Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.

Jessica Luke is a faculty member in the Museology Graduate Program, University of Washington, Seattle, where she teaches, advises students, and conducts research on the role of museums in lifelong human development. Prior to joining the UW faculty, Jessica worked for 15 years at the Institute for Learning Innovation, where she conducted research and evaluation in museums across the country, mainly focused on youth, families, and parents.

Notes

1. Rosenberg et al., Meet Me.

2. Housen and Yenawine, VTS Visual Thinking Strategies.

3. Gould, Arts 4 Dementia | Reawakening the Mind.

4. Ibid.

5. Gihooly, “The Impact of Caregiving on Caregivers,” 35–44.

6. Livingston, Persin, and Del Signore, “Art in the Moment,” 100–9.

7. Binnie, “Does Viewing Art in the Museum Reduce Anxiety and Improve Wellbeing?” 191–201.

8. Rhoads, “Museums, Meaning Making, and Memories,” 229–40.

9. Ibid.