Dementia and imagination:connecting communities and developing well-being through socially engaged visual arts practice

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。然而，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。本研究旨在解决痴呆症患者的脱节和边缘化问题，并探索痴呆症支持社区的愿景如何从创造性活动中受益。具体来说，它将使用视觉艺术干预作为变革的催化剂，以理解社区连通性，挑战态度和促进福祉。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潜在过程。为了实现这些目标，研究将在英国的三个地区进行。这些社区包括种族和地理上不同的社区，以使研究背景化。在每个地区，我们的项目合作伙伴将在12个月内为不同的群体提供相同的视觉艺术干预。为了理解这种影响，该研究将评估随着时间的推移，痴呆症患者的幸福感和社会联系的变化，以及这些变化如何通过社会传染反过来对社区产生积极影响（促进社会态度的改变，促进参与和包容）。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，并将使用艺术作为分析工具和视觉，创造性地表示结果。这项研究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。这将确保充分参与，并为研究、政策和实践带来最大的利益和影响。它还将有助于建设未来的可持续性。

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. Yet 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. This research aims to address the disconnection and marginalisation of people with dementia and explore how the vision for dementia supportive communities might benefit from creative activities. Specifically, it will use a visual art intervention as the catalyst for change for understanding community connectivity, challenging attitudes and promoting well being. 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 underlying processes that create the connection between arts participation and good outcomes. To realise the aims, the research will be set within three areas of the UK. These consist of ethnically and geographically diverse communities to contextualise the research. In each area our project partners will deliver the same visual arts intervention over a 12 month period to different groups. To understand the impact, the research will assess changes over time in the well-being and social connectedness of people with dementia, and how these changes can in turn have positive effects in communities (facilitate change in societal attitudes and promote participation and inclusion) through social contagion. The processes and outcomes of the research will be assessed using a range of quantitative and qualitative approaches, and will use art, both as a tool for analysis and for visual, creative representations of the results.The research builds on existing relationships and develops new ones with community and policy partners, such as arts organisations, museums, galleries, health and social care practitioners, charities and local government. This will ensure full engagement and maximum benefit and impact for research, policy and practice. It will also contribute towards building future sustainability.