Abstract
This research critically evaluates the potential of creative practices within the dementia care industry, considering perspectives from creative practitioners, carers, and individuals with dementia in care settings. Utilising a phenomenological approach, it conceptualises ‘making’ as a form of interaction and engagement with one's surroundings, emphasising the importance of emotions and context. The study challenges the notion that people with dementia are ‘dying-within,’ advocating instead for recognition of their strengths and capabilities, even in advanced stages of the condition.The research is structured into four sections, each examining different contexts for creative activities: working in a day centre, organising projects in care homes, fostering creativity during the pandemic, and an autoethnographic reflection on facilitating creative activities through online connections with my own grandmother. Across these contexts, creative activities are shown to be transformative and temporal, playing a central role in shaping interactions and altering the rhythms and moods of occupied spaces. The findings illustrate how creative practices can be embedded in care settings, transforming how participants engage with each other and their surroundings. Additionally, the research highlights how artists can introduce innovative projects that enrich the care environment and share their skills with staff and participants. Yet, as the Covid-19 pandemic heightened economic problems, it also revealed the precarity faced by artists operating at the intersection of the creative, care, and voluntary sectors.
Thesis is embargoed until 31 July 2026.
| Date of Award | Jul 2025 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
|
| Sponsors | AHRC Northern Bridge Consortium |
| Supervisor | Maruska Svasek (Supervisor) & Fiona Magowan (Supervisor) |
Keywords
- Phenomenology
- making
- personhood
- dementia care
- agency
- northern ireland
Cite this
- Standard