title: Activities in dementia care: A comparative assessment of activity types.
abstract: This exploratory study compares the impact of five activity types on the well-being of institutionalized people with dementia: the intergenerational art program Opening Minds through Art, art and music therapies, creative activities, non-creative activities, and no activities at all. We validated the Scripps Modified Greater Cincinnati Chapter Well-Being Observational Tool, and used that instrument to systematically observe N = 67 people with dementia as they participated in different activity types. People with dementia showed the highest well-being scores during Opening Minds through Art compared to all other activities. No significant well-being differences were found between creative activities led by licensed art/music therapist versus regular activity staff. Furthermore, no significant well-being differences were found between creative and non-creative activities that were both led by regular activity staff. Overall, people with dementia benefit from participating in activities, regardless of the type (creative or non-creative), or who conducts them (licensed therapists or activity staff). However, in order for people with dementia to reach significantly high levels of overall well-being, we recommend that activities are specifically designed for people with dementia and incorporate a 1:1 ratio between people with dementia and well-trained volunteers/staff members.
authors.affiliation: Scripps Gerontology Center, Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lokon
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology and Gerontology, Scripps Gerontology Center, Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Philip E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Sauer
authors.affiliation: Discovery Center for Evaluation, Research, and Professional Learning, Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D001155:Art Therapy; D003704:Dementia / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009147:Music Therapy; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards*; D011788:Quality of Life; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; comparative assessment; creative self-expression; dementia activities; well-being