Creativity and dementia: does artistic activity affect well-being beyond the art class?

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Dementia Care
• Art Therapy Research

Background:

• The Alzheimer's Association's Memories in the Making (MIM) program aims to improve well-being in individuals with dementia.
• Previous evaluations suggested benefits, but the current study investigated carry-over effects and psychometric properties of the assessment tool.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of the MIM art program on the well-being of individuals with middle- to late-stage dementia.
• To evaluate carry-over effects of the MIM program beyond session times.
• To examine the psychometric qualities of the Greater Cincinnati Chapter Well-Being Observation Tool.

Main Methods:

• A 12-week study involving 76 participants with dementia in the MIM program.
• Evaluations conducted by interns (observing in-session behavior) and care facility staff (rating out-of-session functioning) at three time points.
• Psychometric analysis of the Greater Cincinnati Chapter Well-Being Observation Tool.

Main Results:

• Staff reported no significant changes in resident well-being across the 12-week program.
• Interns observed significant improvements in five well-being domains from baseline to mid- and end-program.
• Psychometric analysis revealed weaknesses in inter-rater reliability and indicated the tool measures 'Well-Being' and 'Ill-Being' factors, not the claimed seven domains.

Conclusions:

• Quantitative evidence for MIM's effectiveness is ambiguous, with differing results between intern and staff observations.
• The assessment tool's psychometric properties require improvement, as it does not measure the intended seven domains.
• While quantitative data is inconclusive, anecdotal evidence suggests MIM may offer fleeting benefits for some dementia participants.