Embedding creativity in a dementia care home: piloting and evaluating an artist-in-residency project using qualitative and creative methods
Lead Research Organisation:
LEEDS BECKETT UNIVERSITY
Abstract
Dementia is one of the most pressing challenges facing health and social care in the UK. Over 440,000 people live in care homes, and around 70% experience dementia or memory problems. Alongside the medical and physical demands of care, residents and staff also face challenges around communication, connection, and wellbeing. Many residents experience loneliness, distress, or anxiety, while staff often feel over-stretched and under-supported. These pressures contribute to high workforce turnover and a system that struggles to meet rising demand.
There is strong evidence that creative engagement can improve quality of life for people living with dementia. The arts can help residents express themselves, connect with others, and reduce feelings of isolation. However, most arts programmes in care homes are short-term, externally delivered sessions—visiting workshops that do not become part of everyday care. Once these projects end, the benefits are often lost. Staff may feel that creativity is something “extra” rather than a tool they can use in their daily work.
This project will pilot a new approach: embedding an artist directly into the daily life of a care home for a full year. Rather than delivering workshops, the artist will work alongside staff—care workers, nurses, cleaners, cooks, and managers—to bring creativity into ordinary routines such as mealtimes, personal care, and informal conversations. The artist will not replace staff expertise but will help unlock creative ways of working that strengthen relationships, improve communication, and support wellbeing.
The research team will work closely with residents, families, staff, and artists to evaluate how this embedded model works in practice. They will observe everyday interactions, hold focus groups and creative workshops, and co-design practical tools that make creativity sustainable beyond the life of the project. Importantly, the study is designed in partnership with people living with dementia and care staff, ensuring it reflects their lived experience and responds to real needs.
The aims are threefold:
To test an embedded artist-in-residency in a dementia care home and measure its impact on residents and staff.
To co-design a training model for artists and care staff that can be replicated in other homes.
To create a strategy for scaling creativity-integrated care across the wider sector.
The potential benefits are significant. For residents, creativity can provide joy, expression, and comfort, reducing distress and enhancing dignity. For staff, creative tools may boost confidence, job satisfaction, and resilience, helping to reduce burnout in a sector facing severe workforce shortages. For society, the project offers a pathway to more humane, relationship-centred care, particularly in rural areas where cultural opportunities are often limited.
The outputs will include a training guide, a short illustrated film, and sector engagement events. These will provide practical resources for care providers, policymakers, and creative organisations, showing how creativity can be woven into everyday care. The findings will also contribute to international debates on creative health and dementia, supporting the UK’s role as a leader in innovative care.
Ultimately, this project seeks to reimagine creativity not as an optional extra, but as a vital part of care. By embedding it within daily life, the residency has the potential to transform how we support people living with dementia—making care more compassionate, sustainable, and connected.
There is strong evidence that creative engagement can improve quality of life for people living with dementia. The arts can help residents express themselves, connect with others, and reduce feelings of isolation. However, most arts programmes in care homes are short-term, externally delivered sessions—visiting workshops that do not become part of everyday care. Once these projects end, the benefits are often lost. Staff may feel that creativity is something “extra” rather than a tool they can use in their daily work.
This project will pilot a new approach: embedding an artist directly into the daily life of a care home for a full year. Rather than delivering workshops, the artist will work alongside staff—care workers, nurses, cleaners, cooks, and managers—to bring creativity into ordinary routines such as mealtimes, personal care, and informal conversations. The artist will not replace staff expertise but will help unlock creative ways of working that strengthen relationships, improve communication, and support wellbeing.
The research team will work closely with residents, families, staff, and artists to evaluate how this embedded model works in practice. They will observe everyday interactions, hold focus groups and creative workshops, and co-design practical tools that make creativity sustainable beyond the life of the project. Importantly, the study is designed in partnership with people living with dementia and care staff, ensuring it reflects their lived experience and responds to real needs.
The aims are threefold:
To test an embedded artist-in-residency in a dementia care home and measure its impact on residents and staff.
To co-design a training model for artists and care staff that can be replicated in other homes.
To create a strategy for scaling creativity-integrated care across the wider sector.
The potential benefits are significant. For residents, creativity can provide joy, expression, and comfort, reducing distress and enhancing dignity. For staff, creative tools may boost confidence, job satisfaction, and resilience, helping to reduce burnout in a sector facing severe workforce shortages. For society, the project offers a pathway to more humane, relationship-centred care, particularly in rural areas where cultural opportunities are often limited.
The outputs will include a training guide, a short illustrated film, and sector engagement events. These will provide practical resources for care providers, policymakers, and creative organisations, showing how creativity can be woven into everyday care. The findings will also contribute to international debates on creative health and dementia, supporting the UK’s role as a leader in innovative care.
Ultimately, this project seeks to reimagine creativity not as an optional extra, but as a vital part of care. By embedding it within daily life, the residency has the potential to transform how we support people living with dementia—making care more compassionate, sustainable, and connected.