Dementia Arts Mapping: observational methods for documenting impacts of poetry and recreation in care settings

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Long-term care homes for older and disabled adults, including those who are living with dementia, facilitate a diversity of recreational activities and program as social interventions. The relationships between interventional elements and participant impacts are not well understood. METHODS: This paper explores a poetry methodology and reports the findings from a pilot test of Dementia Arts Mapping, a novel ethnographic observational technique, to better understand impacts of poetry and recreation on people living with dementia in long-term care settings. Between 2017 and 2020, at 17 skilled nursing facilities throughout Wisconsin, researchers situated within care homes observed participants during diverse activities. RESULTS: We found poetry workshops surpassed other activities in eliciting self-expression. CONCLUSIONS: Dementia Arts Mapping is an effective instrument for generating insights about dementia care and may be further enhanced for future use in research to inform care provision to foster meaningful engagement with people with dementia.

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