Providing people with dementia with opportunities to engage in creative activity can play a crucial role in maintaining and enhancing communication, and in reinforcing personhood and identity. This thoughtful book describes how people with dementia, and the people who work with and care for them, can foster and develop a creative approach, and provides rich and varied ideas for creative activities.
The authors explore the concept of creativity - what exactly it is, its particular relevance for people with dementia and how to get into the creative 'flow'. They introduce a range of creative art forms, including poetry and story-telling, collage, drama, music-making, photography, textiles and working with wood and metal, and suggest possibilities for employing them in a range of settings, and with people of all abilities. Consideration is given to the practicalities of facilitating such creative work, including how to organise and run sessions, how to involve people with dementia and their carers, and how to reflect upon the experience. Practice examples are included throughout the book, as well as the comments and observations of people with dementia, and many examples of the artwork and poetry the authors have created with people with dementia over the years.
Brimming with ideas, suggestions and helpful guidance, this is an essential resource for all those who work with people with dementia, and an inspiring read for people with dementia and their families.
Industry Reviews
'This charming, erudite book presents a wealth of experience about the arts and dementia in a readable and helpful form. The two authors are acknowledged experts with long experience of using a wide range of arts in this field. The book is therefore well grounded in practice and full of inspirational stories. It is also a treasure trove of ideas, suggestions and helpful guidance.'- Mary Marshall, Professor Emeritus, University of Stirling'This book left me speechless. For years, after being diagnosed with dementia, I moaned that not enough attention is paid to creativity in dementia. Little did I know, a work was in progress. As said inside, it is not meant to be comprehensive, but it covers a lot of ground. I couldn't put it down. You won't either.' - James Mckillop MBE, founding member of the Scottish Dementia Working Group'John and Claire's timely book shows why being engaged and entertained by singing, looking at paintings, taking photographs, dancing and other activities offers a bridge to joy, satisfaction and self identity for people with dementia. Brimming with ideas, research, reflection, and practice examples and woven throughout with comments and observations of people with dementia, it's an inspiring, effortless read not only for a wide range of health and social care practitioners, but, importantly, for artists and performers, whose work can help those experiencing a crisis of self, reconnect with life and living.'- Maria Parsons, Director, ARTZ UK: Artists for Alzheimers'This book is like the most colourful toolbox, crammed with a rich variety of materials begging to be used. John and Claire describe a magnificent mix of creative ideas, helpful insights and beautiful personal accounts from their experiences of working creatively with people living with dementia. Their enthusiasm is infectious; anyone who reads this will be inspired and excited to employ the creative strategies within. The book is about relationships; it is about developing sensitivities to be empathic, creative, opportunistic and communicative with people who have dementia and above all it is intensely human. John and Claire bring extraordinary clarity to the ways that they both work with people showing us how to gently gain empathy, use creative media and act as instruments to make tangible other people's words, meanings and feelings. The book will bring insight and inspiration to readers from any background. It will be a valuable tool to me in my continuing practice and I urge you to join me in taking John and Claire's advice, to let go of our assumptions of what we think we can achieve and to throw ourselves into these wonderful ideas.'- Dr Jayne Wallace, Senior Lecturer, School of Design, Northumbria University
