Improving well-being and community connectivity for people with dementia through community based arts interventions

尽管人们的寿命比以往任何时候都长，但痴呆症患者的数量正在增加，到2021年，80岁以上的人中有五分之一将患有痴呆症。痴呆症患者及其家人常常因为痴呆症对日常活动的污名化而与社会脱节。此外，目前的经济气候意味着许多服务的减少，这一人口往往缺乏有意义的活动。许多痴呆症患者希望留在自己的社区，住在自己选择的家中，靠近家人、照顾者和朋友，并得到卫生和社会护理服务的支持。考虑到这一点以及人口变化的挑战和痴呆症的影响，社区及其资源具有相当大的潜力。为了探索这一潜力，这个大型项目将确定如何通过创新的社区艺术干预来创建支持痴呆症的社区。迄今为止的研究虽然有限，但表明参与艺术对痴呆症患者的生活质量、健康和福祉有许多潜在的好处。该项目希望在此基础上建立一个新的领域，这将最大限度地提高社区的参与度，并为社区带来潜在的利益。它将研究参与社区艺术干预如何增加痴呆症社区与更广泛社会之间的福祉和联系。它还将研究另一个新的领域，以进一步了解在艺术参与和良好成果之间建立联系的“有效成分”。为了实现这些目标，研究将在英国的四个地区进行。这些社区包括种族和地理上多样化的社区，以使研究背景化，具有独特和共同的特征，如前重工业、城市和农村对比、前矿业社区、双语。这项研究将建立在现有关系的基础上，并与社区和政策合作伙伴（如艺术组织、博物馆、画廊、卫生和社会保健从业人员、慈善机构和地方政府）建立新的关系，以调动现有的社区艺术资源，实施实践并增加合作伙伴之间的联系。这将确保充分参与和最大的利益和影响。它还将有助于建筑的可持续性。研究的过程和结果将使用一系列定量和定性方法进行评估，并将使用艺术和电影作为分析工具和结果的视觉创造性表示。这将突出艺术和连接如何以及为什么可能“工作”，并将为进一步的研究、政策和实践提供信息。通过发展干预措施的外联方面，它将到达有机会被剥夺的社区和艺术和文化资源“没有服务”的现有社区。为了创建对痴呆症友好的社区，这项研究将促进社会态度的改变，促进参与和包容。对创建痴呆症支持社区的贡献将有助于建立社区福祉。

Although people are living longer than ever before, the number of people with dementia is increasing, and 1 in 5 people over 80 will have dementia by 2021. People with dementia and their families often become disconnected from society through the stigmatizing effect dementia has on taking part in everyday activities. Added to this, the current economic climate has meant reductions in many services, and there is often a lack of meaningful activity available to this population.Many people with dementia wish to remain within their communities, in the home of their choice, near their family, carers and friends, with the support of health and social care services. Considering this alongside the challenge of demographic change and the impact of dementia, communities and their resources have considerable potential. To explore this potential, the large project will determine how dementia supportive communities can be created through innovative community based arts interventions. Research to date, although limited, suggests a number of potential benefits of arts participation to the quality of life, health and well-being of people with dementia. This project wishes to build on this to address a new area, which will maximise the involvement of, and potential benefit to communities. It will look at how participation in community arts interventions can increase well-being and connectedness between the dementia community and wider society. It will also examine another new area, to further understand the 'active ingredients' that create the connection between arts participation and good outcomes. To realise the aims, the research will be set within four areas of the UK. These consist of ethnically and geographically diverse communities to contextualise the research, with both distinct and common characteristics such as ex-heavy industry, urban and rural contrasts, ex-mining communities, bilingualism. The research will build on existing relationships and develop new ones with community and policy partners, such as arts organisations, museums, galleries, health and social care practitioners, charities and local government, to mobilise existing community arts resources, implement into practice and increase connections between partners. This will ensure full engagement and maximum benefit and impact. It will also contribute towards building sustainability.The processes and outcomes of the research will be assessed using a range of quantitative and qualitative approaches, and will use art and film, both as a tool for analysis and for visual, creative representations of the results. This will highlight how and why the arts and connectivity might 'work' and will inform further research, policy and practice. Through development of outreach aspects of the intervention, it will reach communities at risk of access deprivation and existing communities 'not served' by the arts and cultural resources. In aspiring to create dementia friendly communities, the research will facilitate change in societal attitudes and promote participation and inclusion. The contribution to the creation of dementia supportive communities will build community well-being.