Short description:

Building on several pioneering projects and aspects of lived experience, Care Aesthetics and Dementia Studies: New Directions for Person-Centred Practices presents a new vision for dementia studies where care aesthetics is situated as the language for the doing of person-centred care and the processes of everyday evaluation.

Long description:

Building on several pioneering projects and aspects of lived experience, Care Aesthetics and Dementia Studies: New Directions for Person-Centred Practices presents a new vision for dementia studies where care aesthetics is situated as the language for the doing of person-centred care and the processes of everyday evaluation.

Presented over four interconnected Parts, the book shares a collection of studies and conceptual thinking that spotlights the sensory, embodied, and relational aspects of person-centred practices, and focusses on both the macro- and micro-processes of care, elevating such interactions into a seen and visible craft. It contains contributions from a range of interdisciplinary authors, including those with backgrounds in philosophy, psychiatry, theatre and performance studies, neuroscience, improvisation studies, sociology, gerontology, design, health and social care, and the Royal Horticultural Society. People living with dementia and family carers are also represented within the chapter authorship.

The book should be of interest to a range of readers, from those living with dementia through to practitioners in any setting of dementia care, and to students and trainees who are interested in knowing more about the evolving field of aesthetic practices in dementia studies. 

Table of Contents:

List of Boxes List of Figures List of Images List of Tables Notes on contributors Foreword Acknowledgements Abbreviations used in the book Introduction Part 1: A Critical and Personal Appreciation of Care Aesthetics and Living with Dementia Chapter 1: Thinking behind an aesthetic approach to dementia Chapter 2: Sketching with my mum: Visual autoethnographic reflections on ‘care-ful’ art and ‘art-ful’ care Part 2: Care Aesthetics and Creative Practices Chapter 3: Creating aesthetic objects with people living with dementia Chapter 4: Care aesthetics and the experience of living with semantic dementia over time Chapter 5: Doing care aesthetics: Dress, grooming, and appearance-related practices in dementia care settings Chapter 6: Exchanging moments: What happens if we integrate language describing the ‘care work’ of artists with that of healthcare support workers? Chapter 7: Creative moments and dementia: Fostering relational, aesthetic approaches in care home settings Chapter 8: Integrating aesthetics, neuroaesthetics, and Polyvagal Theory to develop a novel conceptual framework for person-centred dementia care Part 3: Care Aesthetics, Outside Spaces, and Everyday Design Chapter 9: Gardening as an aesthetic practice for people living with dementia Chapter 10: Care aesthetics or the aestheticization of care? Reminiscence rooms and the tensions of dementia-friendly design Chapter 11: Care-full neighbourhoods: Exploring the aesthetic dimension of neighbourhoods for people living with dementia Part 4: New Beginnings in Care Aesthetics Chapter 12: Concluding thoughts and next steps Afterword: Caring for my husband Frank who lived and died with advanced semantic dementia