Abstract

There is worldwide interest in how the arts can impact different types of dementia. Over the past 10 years artists, museums/art galleries, and charitable groups have been at the forefront in developing new programmes to enhance quality of life, wellbeing and compassionate care for people with dementia and their carers. Following on the work of these groups, researchers from different academic disciplines have begun to investigate a range of art forms to address wellbeing and quality of life but also to examine the impact of the arts on cognition, memory, emotions, motivation, attention, identity, aesthetic preference, social inclusion and learning. The International Arts and Dementia Research Conference aims to bring together for the first time researchers, artists, clinicians and people with dementia to debate current research through keynote addresses, paper sessions, interactive workshops and roundtable discussions. Opportunities for informal networking and dialogue with people with dementia and carers who have participated in some of the arts activities presented at the conference will also be key features. Film screenings, poetry and artworks produced and curated by those with dementia will enliven the conference. The conference concludes with an afternoon at the Wellcome Collection’s experiencing dementia Hub.