Supporting the Well-Being of People Living With Dementia and Their Family Carers Through Concurrent Arts and Well-Being Community Programs: Qualitative Perspectives of Participants and Facilitators

Community dwelling people with dementia and their family carers (dyads) may become increasingly isolated which can lead to lack of support, heightened stress levels, anxiety and difficulty coping. For both populations, there is a need for supportive and inviting programs that can provide social contact, respite, and promote engagement for well-being. A co-design workshop was conducted which led to the provision of a pilot six-week art program for people with dementia concurrent with a wellbeing program for their family carers. The research had two phases. Phase one was co-design informed by action research to decide on the content for the six-week concurrent programs and phase two used qualitative description to interpret participant perspectives about program outcomes. Data were collected prior to the programs through a co-design workshop, during the program through weekly reflections, and after program completion through interviews with dyads and a focus group with program facilitators. Twenty-one people participated in the co-design workshop which included two industry advocates, four caregivers, three people with dementia and twelve who did not specify. There were six dyads in the concurrent programs and six facilitators overall. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Three themes developed in phase two included: relaxation, engagement and trust; recognising and developing new skills and abilities; and connecting over shared experiences. The co-designing process supported trust and led to programs that provided social support and opportunity for engagement. Having the dyads separated but nearby helped people to relax, knowing the other was doing something enriching. Concurrent programs for people with dementia and their caregivers must be tailored to their needs, have small group sizes that allow for social connection and trained facilitators that focus on the process of ‘doing’ activities and having fun over the outcome or product.