Creative Dementia Research Project
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Creative Support: building bonds through play for people with young onset dementia and their caregivers
IRAS ID
324156
Contact name
Clive Holmwood
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Derby
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 23 days
Research summary
Derby and Northampton Universities will conduct research on the impact of a new drama workshop for people with younger onset dementia and their caregiver(s), aged under 65 years. There has been an increasing interest in using arts with people with dementia. These tend to focus on engagement through music, dance and museums, and are aimed at those in later life and/or in care homes. There is little focus on using drama for those under the age of 65 and who live in the community. The research aims to find out if younger people with dementia and their caregiver(s) feel there is a benefit in attending the drama workshops, and whether this approach strengthens relationships with this group. The project will explore the potential for drama techniques to be used at home between or after the workshops, with the aid of a personalised toolkit, made during the sessions.
The project will invite two groups of five pairs, a person with younger onset dementia and their caregiver(s), to attend 10-weekly drama workshops. Each session will be two hours. Support will be provided by a drama expert, two researchers and a volunteering dementia expert from Dementia UK. The workshops are based on a method called Neuro Dramatic Play (Jennings 2011). NDP is a relational model that builds resilience, the ability to cope, into creative play. The workshops will draw upon a range of activities, including: drama, role-play, storytelling, sound, art and music making, movement and rhythm, to create images, scenes and stories. The project will use a mixed methods case study design, with data collected at the start, end, and 6-8 months post workshops. The methods will include: video recordings of the drama workshops, interviews and post workshop reflections, and use of validated measures on: quality of life, resilience, and attachment.
REC name
East of England - Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/EE/0084
Date of REC Opinion
21 Apr 2023
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion