How art therapy helps people living with dementia
If you’ve ever tried your hand at painting, working with clay or crafting, you’ll know that art offers us a way to get in touch with our emotions, practice fine motor skills and express ourselves. For people living with dementia, different types of art have the same benefits – and more. Creative activities have been found to boost cognitive function and may even reduce the rate of the development of memory conditions.
Regardless of how advanced a persons dementia may be, art therapy is accessible for all.
At Care UK, we’re led by expert guidance, so you can rest assured that our approach to activities like art therapy is backed by the latest research into dementia care. Discover more below about how creative art can help people living with dementia.
What are the benefits of art therapy for people living with dementia?
Art is used to improve social, emotional and mental health while reducing distress by offering people insight, self-compassion and a sense of agency, according to the British Association of Art Therapists.
From allowing your imagination to soar to providing you a sense of accomplishment when you add that final brush stroke, art is a wonderful activity for people of all ages and skill levels.
In care homes, art can be used in lots of different ways to support people living with dementia through a huge range of benefits – including physical, mental and emotional.
Physical benefits:
- Maintaining mobility.
- Improving coordination.
Mental benefits:
- Maintaining cognitive function.
- Managing symptoms of distress, like anxiety, anger and apathy.
- Offering a chance to create new memories and sparking fond memories.
Emotional benefits:
- Allowing an outlet for self-expression, especially for those who have difficulty communicating.
- Improving self-esteem.
- Boosting imagination.
- Offering a sense of accomplishment and pleasure.
- Engaging attention and living ‘in the moment’.
- Interacting with others through art group activities.
Art therapy’s benefits for carers
Art therapy can be beneficial for the people who care for loved ones living with dementia, too, by offering a little respite through a fun activity. One case study from Arts for Dementia found that artistic activities were “a vital source of routine, companionship and emotional uplift” both for the person living with dementia and their carer.
Find out how Care UK supports whole families through their dementia journey.
Supporting residents with creative art at Care UK
Maintaining our hobbies is important for our wellbeing as we age. It gives residents a sense of purpose, while also allowing them a way to connect with others.
Our care home teams get to know residents well so they can provide activities in line with their unique interests. If a resident was creative in their younger years, the home’s dedicated lifestyle team will put on activities and events that suit their interests, from painting sessions to knit and natter groups. It’s all part of our person-centred approach to dementia care.
Many of our lifestyle team members have received special training with NAPA, the National Activity Providers’ Association. NAPA provides activity teams in care settings with resources and training to enable the people they support to enjoy an active and enriching life. Some of our care homes have even been nominated for awards for their enthusiastic provision of activity-based care.
How one care home supports residents to find their passion for the arts
At Appleby House in Epsom, the lifestyle team champions all forms of art. The home has its own studio and gallery that is open to all, and they support residents to engage in colouring, painting and crafts.
“We have some residents who are fantastic artists and enjoy making and showing their work here,” says Lisa Maria Ortiz, Lifestyle Lead.
One resident who had always been interested in the arts and is a very accomplished draftsman and painter mentioned that he had hardly ever shown his work in a gallery setting. “We talked about the possibility of having our own mini gallery here in the home and for him not only to show his work there, but for him to be the curator of the space, if he was happy to. He was amazed that this was even a possibility,” Lisa Maria says.
“Over a few months, a space was created. We opened The Core Gallery in February with our first show being our curator’s solo exhibition!” she adds.
As there are so many benefits of art therapy, our teams encourage those who might not normally be first in line for these activities to give them a try, too.
One resident at Appleby House who had never attempted much painting in her life, but was a lover of the arts and creative processes, joined one of the home’s abstract painting afternoons.
“At first she was a little intimidated by the white canvas,” Lisa Maria says, “but as soon as we spread paint around the white space and she saw colour come alive, the joy that she experienced was infectious. She was so amazed at what she created that she said she felt liberated!”
Some residents who enjoyed art in their earlier years feel they have ‘lost’ their creative drive. Lisa Maria says the team encourage them through a soft approach to see if they can find their passion again. “We have had residents who have found a new ‘hobby’ or have found the pleasure in simpler pursuits like mindful colouring. We do not have a strict practice of painting or drawing here but are blessed that we have the capacity to do a range of practices within the arts in our creative home here at Appleby.”
If art isn’t your bag, our teams help residents to maintain hobbies no matter what they are – from bird watching to playing chess, or even routines as simple as reading the daily newspaper.
Person-centred care can make a real difference for people living with dementia, as it helps us to better meet the needs of residents living with dementia, helping them to feel calmer and happier by reducing agitation and aggressive behaviour.
Our campaigns to promote the arts
Care UK care homes celebrate art-themed days throughout the year, including NAPA’s National Day of Arts in Care Homes. In 2021, Care UK joined an international art campaign, The Big Draw Festival, to promote drawing as a universal tool for learning, expression and invention.
Hundreds of residents in Care UK homes across the country took part in the theme ‘Make the Change’, which explored the relationship we have with the environment we live in. In recent years, homes have continued to participate in the Big Draw Festival, the world’s largest drawing festival, with their own creative sessions.
Discover more at Care UK
Want to find out more about our commitment to supporting residents living with dementia to live fulfilling lifestyles? Discover what life is like in a Care UK care home, and find out how we care for people living with dementia.
