Using Computer Technology to Enable Arts and Crafts for People With Dementia in Care Homes

SCIENTIFIC JUSTIFICATION:

People with dementia that live in care homes are more prone to experience a lack of stimulation and be socially isolated. Activities that are likely to be beneficial for people with dementia are social and leisure activities, as the activities promote engagement and improve affect. It has been argued that these activities should be of high importance in care settings and that care home residents living with dementia should have access to meaningful activities and are supported when engaging with the activities.

The use of touchscreen technology is one strategy that may possibly engage older people in enjoyable leisure activities. In past research, people with dementia and staff reported positive experiences with the use of technology in previous research that evaluate the impacts of touchscreen technology in care homes. This same research also showed supportive evidence for the positive contribution of the touchscreen technology for improvements in quality of life, relationships and interpersonal interactions. A literature review from 2017 on the use of touchscreen technology by people with dementia and its impact on wellbeing also shows supportive evidence for the use of touchscreen technology in dementia care. The researchers concluded that touchscreen-based interventions could provide benefits on mood, mental health, social interaction, quality of interaction, and sense of mastery. If people with dementia have the appropriate support for the use of touchscreen technology, it is evidently possible for people to benefit from its use.

A possible way to engage people with dementia with touchscreen technology could be through the use of the visual arts. Preliminary evidence shows that use of arts for people with dementia appears to be beneficial in reducing behavioural symptoms, depression and isolation and make people with dementia more able to express feelings. The use of visual art activities in touchscreen technology is a promising idea, as positive results from interventions using these activities separately can be found in scientific literature. So far, very little research on the benefits of visual art interventions on touchscreen devices has been made. Thus, there is a need to have more research on this topic. This study will add to research on this field and its results could be valuable to care staff and people with dementia. Providing people with dementia a set of exciting activities which have the potential to enrich people lives and be beneficial for wellbeing.

DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY: