Viewing art on a tablet computer: A well-being intervention for people with dementia and their caregivers.

Tyack, Charles; Camic, Paul M.; Heron, Michael James; Hulbert, Sabina

Abstract

Art-based interventions have been shown to be beneficial for the well-being of people with dementia and their caregivers. This article explored whether such interventions can be delivered via a touchscreen tablet device displaying art images. Method: Twelve pairs of volunteers with dementia and informal caregivers were recruited (N = 24). A quasi-experimental mixed-methods within-subjects study evaluated the well-being impacts of art viewing using visual analogue scales and explored participant experiences with thematic analysis. Findings: Quantitative results before Bonferroni correction showed a significant effect for change in composite well-being from Session 1 to Session 5 but this became non-significant after the correction was applied. Well-being subdomains generally increased with number of sessions. Qualitative findings included changes in cognition, behavior, mood, and relationships. These changes tended to be viewed positively. Conclusion: The results suggest touchscreen-based art interventions could yield well-being benefits for this population. A larger-scale controlled study would help determine whether wider dementia care practice implications can be drawn.

Citation

TYACK, C., CAMIC, P.M., HERON, M.J. and HULBERT, S. 2017. Viewing art on a tablet computer: A well-being intervention for people with dementia and their caregivers. Journal of applied gerontology [online], 36(7), pages 864-894. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1177/0733464815617287

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 10, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Dec 16, 2015
• Publication Date: Jul 1, 2017
• Deposit Date: Nov 24, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 24, 2016
• Journal: Journal of applied gerontology
• Print ISSN: 0733-4648
• Electronic ISSN: 1552-4523
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 36
• Issue: 7
• Pages: 864-894
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0733464815617287
• Keywords: Dementia; Visual art; Tablet computers; Wellbeing; Caregivers; Visual analogue scales
• Public URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10059/1983