Viewing and making art together: a multi-session art-gallery-based intervention for people with dementia and their carers

Abstract

Objectives: This is the first known study that sought to understand the experience of an eight-week art-gallery-based interventionoffered at two distinctly different galleries for people with mild to moderate dementia and their carers. The study examined impact on social inclusion, carer burden, and quality of life and daily living activities for a person with dementia.

Method: A mixed-methods pre-post design using standardised questionnaires and interviews involved 24 participants (12with dementia) and compared similar interventions at a traditional and a contemporary art gallery. Qualitative data was analysed using thematic analysis.

Results: No significant pre-post difference was found between the traditional or contemporary gallery groups on quantitative measures. There was, however, a non-significant trend towards a reduction in carer burden over the course of the interventionfor both gallery groups. Thematic analysis revealed well-being benefits from both traditional and contemporary art gallery sites that included positive social impact resulting from feeling more socially included, self-reports ofenhanced cognitive capacities for people with dementia, and an improved quality of life.

Conclusion: Participants were unanimous in their enjoyment and satisfaction with the programme, despite the lack of significancefrom standardised measures. Further consideration of art galleries and museums, as non-clinical community resources for dementia care, is warranted. The interventions at both galleries helped to foster social inclusion and social engagement, enhance the caring relationship between the carers and PWD, support the personhood of PWD, and stimulate cognitive processes of attention and concentration.

Keywords:

• community-based dementia care
• carer burden
• quality of life
• visual art
• well-being
• social inclusion
• museums
• art galleries

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the participants who took part in this project and for their contributions to gallery-based research. In addition, we would like to acknowledge the valuable expertise and support received from the staff at Dulwich Picture Gallery: Gillian Wolfe, Sarah Ciacci, Sally Cutler and Michelle Douek; and at Nottingham Contemporary: Alex Farquharson, Chris Lewis-Jones, Kay Hardiman, and Aaron Juneau and his team of gallery assistants. Many thanks to the Alzheimer's Society for their assistance in recruitment.

This work was supported by the Staff Research Fund, Centre for Applied Psychology, Canterbury Christ Church University and the Institute of Mental Health and University of Nottingham Medical School Dean's Fund.

Notes

1. The questions are available from the corresponding author.

2. P denotes person with dementia and C carer. All names are anonymous and some details altered to assure confidentiality.