Innes - Healing Arts Therapies and Person-Centered Dementia Care

Bradford Dementia Group Good Practice Guides

Now under the editorship of Murna Downs, this series constitutes a set of accessible, jargon-free good practice guides for the carers of people with dementia. Reflecting the groups commitment to the person-centred approach to dementia, the series draws on both experience in practice and the latest research in the fields of dementia and dementia care.

Training and Development for Dementia Care Workers

Anthea Innes

ISBN 978 1 85302 761 1

Primary Care and Dementia

Steve Iliffe and Vari Drennan

ISBN 978 1 85302 997 4

eISBN 978 1 84642 282 9

Drug Treatments and Dementia

Stephen Hopker

ISBN 978 1 85302 760 4

eISBN 978 1 84642 703 9

Social Work and Dementia

Good Practice and Care Management

Margaret Anne Tibbs

ISBN 978 1 85302 904 2

eISBN 978 0 85700 164 1

The Pool Activity Level (PAL) Instrument for Occupational Profiling

A Practical Resource for Carers of People with Cognitive Impairment,

4th Edition

Jackie Pool

ISBN 978 1 84905 221 4

eISBN 978 0 85700 463 5

Bradford Dementia Group Good Practice Guides

Healing Arts Therapies and Person-Centered Dementia Care

Edited by

Anthea Innes and Karen Hatfield

Jessica Kingsley Publishers

London and Philadelphia

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First published in the United Kingdom in 2001 by

Jessica Kingsley Publishers Ltd

73 Collier Street

London N1 9BE, UK

and

400 Market Street, Suite 400

Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA

www.jkp.com

Copyright 2001 Jessica Kingsley Publishers Ltd

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978 1 84310 038 6

eISBN 978 1 84642 302 4

Contents

Preface

Anthea Innes

The concept of person-centered care is now common currency in the dementia care field both within the UK and the USA. Implementing person-centered care is however an issue that has vexed practitioners (Poole 2000; Packer 2000), although there are accounts of individuals who have attempted to implement the theory and philosophy of person-centered care (Innes 2000; Mills 2000; Petrie 2000; Tibbs 2000). The challenge that remains for dementia care practitioners is to continue using and developing initiative, sensitivity and creativity in their work with people with dementia. During a visit in October 1999 to what at that time was named Heather Hill Hospital, Health and Care Center, in Ohio, USA, I was initiated to the concept of healing arts therapies in dementia care. I experienced first-hand a drumming session, saw the art work and heard all therapists speak with enthusiasm and conviction of the great and small healing powers of music, dance and art in their work with people with dementia.

This guide brings together the experiences of these skilled and committed therapists who work with people with dementia in the areas of dance, music and art on a day-to-day basis under the direction of Roseann Kasayka, herself a music therapist. Each contributor shares with us the theory underlying their modality, practical examples of their application of dance, music or art in their work with people with dementia as well as practical tips that the non-therapist could draw upon to enhance the care they offer. The conclusions that are drawn are formed from practice and application of the therapy and principles of person-centered dementia care. Holly Queen-Daughertys chapter provides visual examples of the work of persons with dementia alongside a narrative describing the process of art therapy as experienced by the individuals whose work is presented. Liat Shustik and Tria Thompson provide us with examples of using movement and dance to express emotions, to offer comfort and simply to be together. Karen Hatfield and Natalie McClune talk us through the simple pleasures that music can bring for both the therapist and the person with dementia while detailing initiatives tried and tested at Heather Hill that have brought a sense of relaxation, team work and valuing of individuals with dementia. Parallels between person-centered dementia care and healing arts therapies are drawn throughout the book, illustrating that Kitwoods concept of positive person work (1997) has a powerful outlet in music, dance and art work with people with dementia. This guide provides us with a blueprint of what can be achieved by qualified therapists while at the same time offering windows of insight into what can be achieved by the non-therapist who wishes to experiment with the activities of art, dance and music.

Introduction

Roseann E. Kasayka

The core functions of healing arts therapies in the care of persons with dementia are the reclamation, the regeneration and the celebration of the human spirit. These are also the primary goals of person-centered care. Each of these therapies flows from a similar deep concern for the support of personhood and the well-being of the individual. Each has a concern for fullness of life, and puts connection, interaction and communication, both verbal and nonverbal, at the top of the list of priorities in terms of care goals. The healing arts therapies and person-centered care are natural partners.

Throughout this book the definition of healing arts therapies used is: holistic therapeutic modalities that promote wellness and growth. In the case of music, dance/movement and art therapies, the form of the therapy is taken from the fine arts. These three modalities involve the intentional and compassionate use of the elements of their particular art form to promote physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. Person-centered care is care which focuses on the person rather than on dementia, the disease. Person-centered care operates from the residual strengths of the individual, considering what they can do rather than what they are unable to do. Person-centered care holds that no matter the level of cognitive impairment, the individual with dementia can have a good quality of life and be in a state of well-being.

In the USA, the interest in and growth and use of the healing arts therapies has burgeoned in the recent past. In the expanding body of research literature that supports the use of these therapies, there has been an accumulation of evidence testifying to the fact that the arts provide an unsurpassed means of communication, joy and accomplishment to persons who are ill, have neurological damage or are cognitively impaired. The effectiveness of arts therapies with these persons, and their success more generally in promoting and preserving wellness is well researched and documented.