Conceptualising and Understanding Artistic Creativity in the Dementias: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Research and Practise.

Creativity research has a substantial history in psychology and related disciplines; one component of this research tradition has specifically examined artistic creativity. Creativity theories have tended to concentrate, however, on creativity as an individual phenomenon that results in a novel production, and on cognitive aspects of creativity, often limiting its applicability to people with cognitive impairments, including those with a dementia. Despite growing indications that creativity is important for the wellbeing of people living with dementias, it is less well understood how creativity might be conceptualised, measured and recognised in this population, and how this understanding could influence research and practise. This paper begins by exploring prevailing concepts of creativity and assesses their relevance to dementia, followed by a critique of creativity and dementia research related to the arts. Perspectives from researchers, artists, formal and informal caregivers and those with a dementia are addressed. We then introduce several novel psychological and physiological approaches to better understand artistic-related creativity in this population and conclude with a conceptualisation of artistic creativity in the dementias to help guide future research and practise.

Contributions of patient and citizen researchers to 'Am I the right way up?' study of balance in posterior cortical atrophy and typical Alzheimer's disease.

The current report describes the journey from the sharing of a single, extraordinary experience during a support group conversation to the development of a novel scientific investigation of balance problems in a rarer form of dementia. The story centres around the involvement of people living with or caring for someone with posterior cortical atrophy (often referred to as the visual variant of Alzheimer's disease) in highlighting hitherto under-appreciated consequences of their condition upon their ability to know 'Am I the right way up?'. We describe how comments and descriptions of these balance symptoms were collated and communicated, and the involvement of people with posterior cortical atrophy in shaping a series of scientific hypotheses and developing and adapting appropriate experimental materials and procedures. We also reflect more broadly on how we might better recognise, acknowledge and encourage different forms of involvement, and describe several engagement-inspired extensions to the research involving people living with dementia, scientists and artists.

Preparatory planning framework for Created Out of Mind: Shaping perceptions of dementia through art and science.

Created Out of Mind is an interdisciplinary project, comprised of individuals from arts, social sciences, music, biomedical sciences, humanities and operational disciplines. Collaboratively we are working to shape perceptions of dementias through the arts and sciences, from a position within the Wellcome Collection. The Collection is a public building, above objects and archives, with a porous relationship between research, museum artefacts, and the public.  This pre-planning framework will act as an introduction to Created Out of Mind. The framework explains the rationale and aims of the project, outlines our focus for the project, and explores a number of challenges we have encountered by virtue of working in this way.