Using drama and storytelling in dementia care Erasmus Project

Project Title

Using drama and storytelling in dementia care

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Disabilities – special needs; Health and wellbeing; Inclusion – equity

Project Summary

World Health Organization recognizes dementia as a public health priority.
In May 2017, the World Health Assembly endorsed the‚ Global action plan on the public health response to dementia 2017-2025, with main action themes: increasing awareness of dementia and establishing dementia-friendly initiatives; reducing the risk of dementia; diagnosis, treatment and care; research and innovation; and support for dementia carers.
The Erasmus+ project “Story2remember” aimed to improve quality of life of people with dementia and their care partners, improve health care professionals’ skills, increase social inclusion of persons with dementia and raise social awareness on dementia issue by using an innovative methodology based on creative drama and storytelling.
In a transnational partnership (Romania, UK, Greece, Bulgaria and Ireland) the project created: (1) a booklet regarding the research and practice within this field; (2) a training program for health care professionals in dementia care settings; (3) a toolkit to improve communication between family members and persons with dementia; (4) a public policy document to create dementia friendly communities. All results are available in English, Romanian, Greek and Bulgarian.
The booklet is aimed at: dementia practitioners who are currently using drama and storytelling within their practice or have an interest in doing so in the future. It provides an overview of how creative drama and storytelling are being used within the dementia care field and the benefits they may have for people with dementia and their care partners and it also draws on theoretical understandings of ‘social inclusion’ to illustrate how researchers and practitioners across the Erasmus + partner countries, are using these creative initiatives to promote this important facet for people affected by dementia.
The training handbook is for the Story2Remember programme, an education programme based on creative drama and storytelling, designed to provide new learning opportunities in the field of caring for people with Alzheimer’s and dementia. It aims at people with dementia, health and social care professionals and care providers. In tandem with the project’s Booklet “Creative drama and storytelling in dementia care: Information for practitioners “, this handbook is designed to equip health and social care professionals with all the necessary information, skills and materials to guide the delivery of the Story2Remember programme in care settings. Creative drama and storytelling techniques were at the core of this programme. The programme aims to develop a positive social environment for older adults with Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia in a safe space promoting: Wellbeing, Meaningful engagement, Social Inclusion, Enhancement of self-esteem/self-confidence, Empowerment. 11 people from the Erasmus+ partners were trained in this programme and they tested further the programme with over 80 professionals and 79 people with dementia from Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and UK.
This toolkit aims to enhance the communication skills of family members of people with dementia through the use of tools derived from storytelling approaches as well as alternative communication methods. The toolkit includes a brief presentation of the most frequent situations where communication problems may arise, it describes how storytelling and alternative communication methods can be used in these situations and it provides step by step instruction for activities that family members can do together with the person with dementia in order to train their communication skills. It was reviewed by professionals from UK, Bulgaria, Romania and Greece and part of the activities were tested with family member from same countries.
The current policy recommendation document has as main objective to support initiatives for creating dementia friendly communities across the European Union, strengthening the efforts for social inclusion of people with dementia and enabling them to live a fulfilling life as long as possible.
Other objectives of this paper are to deepen the knowledge and mapping regarding best-practice examples of dementia-friendly communities across the world, with a special focus on raising awareness and integrating tools such as creative arts in the care of persons with dementia, and also to offer some concrete recommendations about actions that could be taken by various stakeholders, such as public authorities, NGOs and civil society, businesses and other institutions in order to authentically work towards a common goal: to create the basis for communities where people with dementia can live autonomously as long as possible, using at fullest their potential and contributing to society.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 162742 Eur

Project Coordinator

Societatea Romana de Sprijin a Varstnicilor si a Suferinzilor cu Afectiuni de tip Alzheimer & Country: RO

Project Partners

• ASOCIATIA HABILITAS – CENTRUL DE RESURSE SI FORMARE PROFESIONALA
• ELLINIKI ETAIRIA NOSOY ALZHEIMER KAI SYGGENON DIATARACHON SOMATEIO
• гражданско сдружение Алцхаймер България
• BOURNEMOUTH UNIVERSITY
• The Gaiety School of Acting, The National Theatre School of Ireland