Anne Basting

Impact of TimeSlips, a Creative Expression Intervention Program, on Nursing Home Residents With Dementia and their Caregivers

PURPOSE Creative expression (CE) programs are emerging interventions to improve the quality of care and life of persons with dementia (PWDs) in long-term care settings. However, limited empirical evidence exists to support the effectiveness of these programs. Here, we report the findings from an assessment of the impact of TimeSlips (TS), a group storytelling program that encourages CE among PWDs and those who care for them. DESIGN AND METHODS Instruction in TS was provided through a 10-week on-site training. An observational study using an experimental design was conducted in 20 nursing home facilities in 2 states, 10 of which were randomly selected to implement TS. Two weeks after the implementation of TS at the intervention sites, we conducted 4 days of direct observation, using a time-sampling approach, of residents and staff in each facility. Using surveys, we also assessed staff job satisfaction, attitudes toward residents, and burnout. RESULTS Compared with residents in the control facilities, those in the TS facilities were more engaged and more alert. In TS facilities, there were more frequent staff-resident interactions, social interactions, and social engagement. Also, staff who participated in the TS program had more positive views of residents with dementia and devalued residents less than did the control group staff. There were no differences in staff job satisfaction and burnout among staff in the TS and non-TS facilities. IMPLICATIONS Implementing the TS program in nursing facilities improves the care environment for PWDs. However, additional studies are needed to offer further insights into the mechanisms by which TS improves both staff and resident outcomes.

“Shall I Compare Thee to a Dose of Donepezil?”: Cultural Arts Interventions in Dementia Care Research

The cultural arts have gained attention for their potential to generate social and behavioral changes in people with dementia. Although individual cultural arts intervention studies have reported positive outcomes, most are excluded from systematic reviews because of methodological weakness. We reviewed findings from 27 systematic and integrative reviews of pharmacologic, psychosocial, and cultural arts interventions to identify promising outcomes as well as limitations in current approaches. Although results point to the potential success of interventions tailored to individual interests, most focused on limited measurements of individual change. In moving forward, cultural arts intervention research must not be limited to the tools of the clinical trial model. Instead, researchers should carefully rethink what constitutes rigorous and effective research for interventions aimed at creating a meaningful personal experience for the participant rather than measurable change.

Healthy Aging Persons and Their Brains: Promoting Resilience Through Creative Engagement

Creative engagement, as an expression of and a support for resilience, may have a neuroprotective effect among older adults, contributing to retention of cognitive capacity. Recent research on creative activities shows that they strengthen social networks and give persons a sense of control; both outcomes have been associated with brain health. The authors cite evidence suggesting that positive social interactions can nurture resilience and creative engagement among older persons, including those living with dementia. The motivational, attentional, affective, and social components of creative activities combine to offer older persons meaningful opportunities to express and strengthen their resilience, regardless of their cognitive status, despite the biopsychosocial challenges of aging. The article addresses implications for future research, clinical practice, and public policy, and suggests how gaps in current research on resilience and creativity might be addressed.

StoryCorps’ Memory Loss Initiative: Enhancing personhood for storytellers with memory loss

StoryCorps’ Memory Loss Initiative was designed to gather oral histories of people with memory loss. This study investigated the StoryCorps interview experience for storytellers who self identify with early stage memory loss and the persons who interviewed them. StoryCorps interviews took place in Milwaukee, Chicago, and New York. Follow-up interviews were conducted with 42 persons with memory loss, along with 27 family members who participated in the StoryCorps interviews. Results revealed that the StoryCorps experience was a meaningful activity that allowed participants to acknowledge the beauty of the present moment, to reflect and engage in meaningful conversations, to re-affirm both the selfhood of individuals with memory loss and their relationships with family members, and to and be a part of national history while leaving a legacy for future generations within families. The findings are discussed within the context of personhood enhancing strategies for persons with memory loss.

Using the Arts to Promote Resiliency Among Persons with Dementia and Their Caregivers

Over 5 million persons aged 71 and older (22.2%) have some form of cognitive impairment without dementia that can adversely affect memory and other executive functional capacities (Plassman 2008). This prevalence level and the additional 5 million with Alzheimer’s disease, coupled with the burgeoning older population that will double in another 10 years, call for more creative approaches to helping these persons and their caregivers become more resilient in coping with the marked changes in their lives. The arts may be a helpful adjunct to traditional health care practices for those persons who now and will have dementia. This chapter follows from the Humanities and Arts Symposium presented at the Gerontological Society of America’s 62nd Annual Scientific Meeting in Atlanta, GA in November 2009. The authors explore how using various art forms help persons with dementia and their caregivers cope with those circumstances.

Building creative communities of care: Arts, dementia, and hope in the United States

This essay explores the history of the cultural community development model in the United States and its potential benefits for transforming the lived experience of dementia. Using her work with the 2011 Penelope Project as a case study, the author identifies core elements of a “Creative Community of Care:” open systems; all activities are accessible; the arts are immersed into the environment of care; projects build on existing assets and rituals; projects evolve over long periods of time; and projects have high cultural value/capital.