For You,

Creating social support for people with dementia and their care partners

Northern America

Overview

Background Care partners of people with dementia have been called the “hidden victims” of dementia. We can't cure dementia at this point, but we can change our response to it. “For You,” is a customized creative practice that centers on the lives of 12 care partner-person with dementia dyads. "For You," proceeds from two desires: to validate individual care partners and their loved ones, so they feel seen and heard, and to create social support for people with dementia and their care partners who may be suffering from social isolation.

Project Details

Rowena plans to adapt a person-centered social practice called "For You," to ease the burden on care partners and engage and validate their loved ones living with dementia. Having piloted "For You," twice before for other vulnerable populations we have developed sound methodology. Twelve community-dwelling dyads will be selected per our recruitment process. During individual meetings with the selected dyads we gather stories. The content of the culminating performance “gift” is derived from getting to know the participants. A creative team will produce and document the process. We will assess the impact on the dyads through both quantitative and qualitative measures.

By adapting "For You," we'll join the art and health movement working to support and improve individual and community health outcomes through non-medicalized means. Ultimately, we’ll create an open-source database of creative interventions initiated by "For You,". Furthermore, this project--which includes building relationships, generating creative responses, and distributing findings--is allowing me to develop my voice as an advocate. Together these goals align with the GBHI Theory of Change impacts on Populations, Perceptions, Policy, Publications and Practice.

Learn more about For You,

Learn more about Five Brave Spirts, a product of this pilot project.

Here are two booklets that deliver dementia wisdom from people who “get” it—in both their heads and their hearts.
Dementia takes slowing down. Dementia takes connecting up. Dementia takes co-creativity.
These booklets help us “get” dementia.