A reflection on nurturing spirituality and creativity in those living with dementia

ABSTRACT

This opinion piece focuses on an award-winning, evidence-based, intergenerational art program Opening Minds through Art, which pairs volunteers with people living with dementia in long-term care communities. Research on this program shows the benefit for both individuals living with dementia and those who volunteer. For both the artist and volunteer, spiritual connections are created and nurtured through the process of creating art and conversation. The goal of this piece is to showcase the creative and spiritual capacity of persons living with dementia and provide a new perspective on engaging art activities appropriate for this population.

KEYWORDS:

• Arts programming
• dementia
• spirituality
• volunteers

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).