Potentials of Creative and Arts-Based Approaches and its Impact on Quality of Life in the Context of Dementia Care

The article addresses on the potentials of creative and arts-based approaches in enhancing social networks, support inclusive practice and enable user participation and its impact on quality of life in the context of dementia care The objectives of the discussion is to understand the concept of arts based therapy in the care setting for care of persons with dementia, to examine and analyze critically the studies on arts based therapy and to find the feasibility of practice of arts based therapy in the nursing domain (Palo-Bengtsson et al., 1998). The importance of person centered care; 'embodied selfhood' Kontos (2004, 2005) for obtaining both activity and therapeutic beneficial effects on persons with dementia through various forms of arts based therapy is noticed long back. Nystrom and Lauritzen (2005) discuss the importance of planning a well designed arts therapy for promoting expression of self through nonverbal communication. Besides this, the use of technologies by the care providers in delivering arts based therapy pay attention to those factors that are likely to contribute to positive wellbeing in people with dementia.