Spaces of Liminality, Places of Creative Assemblage: A Multi‐Arts Setting for People Living with Dementia in Northwest England

Abstract

Abstract Researchers are increasingly exploring the practicalities of ‘ageing in place’ for community‐dwelling older adults with dementia. Going beyond the parameters of home and local neighbourhood, community‐based creative arts designed for dementia are promoted for their wellbeing potential. This paper presents findings from a doctoral project conducted between 2017 and 2021, which explored a multi‐arts setting at Theatre by the Lake (Cumbria, Northwest England) designed for people with dementia and caregivers. The study combined a participatory action research (PAR) and sensory ethnography design, adopting an ‘in‐the‐moment’ theoretical lens that included assemblage and relational wellbeing concepts. The findings explore the creative opportunity afforded by the liminal setting(s) and the person‐centred meaning‐making that creative arts encourage. The study recognises the importance of place outside of the home and how an in‐between, transient, creative assemblage can contribute to ‘ageing in place’ as a microcosm of a neighbourhood, without the unpredictability of the public sphere.

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