Poetry interventions in Alzheimer’s and dementia care: A scoping review

Abstract

Art-based interventions for people living with dementia have been successful in improving diverse areas of quality of life and care. Within the spectrum of art-based interventions, poetry has shown an impact on communication, socialization, and the regulation of behavioral outcomes. This scoping review aims to identifying and analyzing how and in what contexts poetry has been used as a form of therapy for people living with dementia and their caregivers. It also looks at the methodology, design, and outcomes. After screening 1106 articles across multiple databases, 23 underwent full-text review, and six were included in the final extraction. Inclusion criteria focused on people living with dementia aged 50+ and/or their family caregivers, encompassing any form of language-based poetry intervention (e.g., written, spoken word). Both completed and ongoing original research reporting intervention outcomes in peer-reviewed articles or certain types of grey literature were considered. The review covers literature published between 1993 and 2023. Additional details on the poetry interventions including collaboration, facilitation, duration, and underlying theory, were also extracted. The findings highlight the effectiveness of poetry interventions for people living with dementia and their caregivers as person-centered activities fostering personhood and social connectedness. Particularly spoken-word poetry-based programs showed positive impacts on participants' self-expression, personhood, and agency. Two main barriers for wider dissemination were identified. First, methodology and outcome reporting conventions in some extracted studies diverge from broader biomedical/health and social science norms. Second, study design and data analysis are not reported in ways that evidence of programs' impact can be assessed and supported. Additionally, there is a lack of literature focused on the development and implementation of poetry-based intervention programs aimed at serving under-represented and minority populations. Recommendations for future projects include multidisciplinary collaborations, diversifying methodological approaches, and attention to cross-cultural approaches to program development and implementation.

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