Enabling people living with dementia to make choices during creative workshops: a conversation analysis study of co-creativity, choice-sequences, and the supportive actions of carers

PURPOSE

Creative workshops can promote various positive outcomes for people with dementia, such as reductions in undesirable symptoms and achieving levels of autonomy. Although these are undoubtedly positive outcomes, there is little understanding of the specific processes that can enable such outcomes. To address this issue, our study investigates the interactional processes of "choice-sequences," in which a PlwD makes a choice pertaining to materials (e.g. pens, coloured papers) for a creative activity.

METHODS

This Conversation Analysis study draws upon around 60 hours of video-recorded creative workshops involving artists, people with dementia, and carers. Drawing upon the notion of "co-creativity," we examine the collaborative work that goes into accomplishing choice- sequences.

RESULTS

While these sequences typically begin with an artist presenting a choice to a PlwD, carers routinely enter these interactions and provide various forms of support needed to accomplish each basic action of a choice-sequence.

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows carers working alongside the artist to pursue the PlwD's choice in a triadic participation framework, and carers supporting the PlwD in a dyadic participation framework with the artist having exited the interaction. In providing such support, carers can utilize their understandings of the communicative norms and requirements of the PlwD.