Inspiring ways of working

In this video Barbara Stephens (Dementia Pathfinders) and Susanna Howard (Living Words) focus on the importance of working with people with dementia, as opposed to seeing arts-based activities as something that is done to people.

Barbara and Susanna explain the critical importance of being present, of listening, and of being in tune with the person living with dementia.

You will hear how it is only through working with people living with dementia that we will be able to learn about the experience of living with the condition, and how, working with people living with dementia can inspire creativity, both for the person living with the diagnosis and for people around them.

This is exemplified a method used by Living Words for working closely with people living with advanced dementia – focusing on being in the present moment together – to produce personalised anthologies. This process highlights how working with people with dementia does not always produce an instant outcome, and how this should not be the goal.

CREDITS We would like to thank the individuals affected by dementia and Living Words for providing all the supplementary images for this video. Image credits in order, as they appear: 1ST BLOCK: * Living Words / Zbigniew Kotkiewicz * Living Words / Alex Rumford * Living Words / Zbigniew Kotkiewicz. 2ND BLOCK: * Living Words * Living Words / Alex Rumford. 3RD BLOCK: Living Words * Living Words / Alex Rumford * Living Words / Alex Rumford. 4TH BLOCK: * Living Words / Alex Rumford * Living Words / Zbigniew Kotkiewicz. 5TH BLOCK: * Living Words * Living Words / Alex Rumford * Living Words / Zbigniew Kotkiewicz.