"Just Join Them": Improv and Dementia Care

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Dementia Care
• Arts-Based Interventions

Background:

• Dementia care partners require effective strategies to manage challenges.
• Meaningful engagement and quality of life are crucial for assisted living residents with dementia.
• Improvisational theatre skills offer a novel approach to caregiver training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze data on meaningful engagement and quality of life for assisted living residents with dementia.
• To demonstrate the potential benefits of training care partners in improvisational theatre skills.
• To explore the implications for intervention research in dementia care.

Main Methods:

• Ethnographic methods were employed to collect data.
• Data were gathered from persons with dementia (n=59) and their care partners (n=165).
• The study was conducted across six diverse assisted living communities over one year.

Main Results:

• Analysis indicates potential benefits of training care partners in improv skills.
• Improvisational skills show promise for improving dementia care partner capabilities.
• The study builds upon existing literature and past work in the field.

Conclusions:

• Improvisational theatre skill development is a promising avenue for enhancing dementia care.
• Further intervention research is needed to validate and expand these findings.
• The findings have implications for improving the lives of individuals with dementia and their care partners.