Dementia and the Arts: Sharing Practice, Developing Understanding and Enhancing Lives

Understand how the arts can improve the lives of people with dementia

Creating a society that supports people living with a dementia is a major challenge - and opportunity. On this course you will discover how the arts can create a common ground between people. You will learn what we can all do to improve the quality of life and care for people living with different dementias, examining best practice and the limits of our current understanding.

Drawing on the work of the Created Out of Mind project during its residency at the Wellcome Collection, this course will expand your perceptions of the dementias and the diverse role of the arts in all our lives.

This course is designed for anyone interested in dementia care and how the arts can be used to enhance care.

You might be living with dementia, helping to care for or support someone who is, or you’re a healthcare practitioner working in the dementia field. You may also be a student, researcher, or commissioner trying to understand the role of arts-based practices in dementia care.

• Seeing the dementias differently through the arts and seeing the arts differently through the dementias
• How can the arts communicate the experience of living with a dementia?
• How can the arts help us understand dementia?
• How can the experience of living with dementia inspire the arts?
• The arts in care settings
• The arts in practice: Three perspectives
• Conclusion
• How can moments be understood, experienced and measured?
• Arts-based practices as a gateway to in-the-moment experiences
• The arts applied
• In-the-moment experiences in care settings
• The lived experience
• Conclusion
• Creating Common Ground: The Arts, Equality and Dementia
• How can the arts help to establish common ground?
• Shifting the focus
• The arts in practice
• The transformative power of the arts
• A national agenda
• Conclusion
• Language & Communication: How can we change the conversation?
• How can language shape our perceptions of the dementias?
• Creating dialogue between science and the arts
• Using the arts to enhance communication
• A broader cultural perspective
• Conclusion