Creative Arts-Based Interventions for Persons with Dementia in Residential Facilities: Evidence from a Scoping Review and a Mixed-Methods Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: The Public Health Agency of Canada published a strategic document recognising the elements associated with person-centred dementia care, including interactions with stakeholders and research mandates. One essential element identified was advanced therapies, containing non-pharmacological interventions, such as creative arts-based interventions. Objective: This thesis investigates the impact of creative arts-based interventions on individuals with dementia, living in residential care through a scoping review (ScR) and a mixed-methods systematic review (MMSR). Methods: The ScR surveyed the current literature base to identify which creative arts-based interventions improved the personhood, quality of life and well-being of persons with dementia (PwD); five studies were included. The MMSR explored the impact of dance interventions on the symptoms of dementia on persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, as dance was unrepresented in the ScR; three studies were included. Both reviews were narratively synthesized due to the heterogeneity in the results. Results: Each included study spoke of the impact the creative arts had on the PwD and which element(s) of their health improved. Results also showed that the creative arts were beneficial for the personhood of the PwD (ScR) and for decreasing symptoms while promoting the person (MMSR). Conclusion: We must continue to look past the condition and recognize that creativity, psychosocial needs, and creative arts are all interconnected in promoting the personhood of PwD. Creative arts-based interventions can be designed to promote the individual creativity of the person and showcase their intact abilities.