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Volume 09
February 15-16, 2019 Amsterdam| Netherlands
Vascular Dementia
11 th International Conference on
Vascular Dementia 2019 Journal of Alzheimers Disease & Parkinsonism | ISSN : 2161-0460
Creativity, community & connections: empowering people living with
dementia through artistic practice
The arts provide an incredibly valuable resource through which people living with
dementia can be empowered to live well: with more evidence being released about the
benefits of art practice for people living with dementia - both on neurological and social
levels - there is more reason than ever to delve further into its potential. Ellie Robinson-
Carter has created and delivered numerous international projects which are uniquely
designed to best suit people living with dementia. The projects encourage and enable
individuals through person-led collaboration and co-authorship. They are of a highly
professional standard, some being published and with professional exhibitions, meaning
individuals are taking part in projects which empower them as artists, writers and creators.
Her projects have been funded by various bodies, including the Big Lottery, Arts Council
and FEAST. As is the case for all of us, people living with dementia wants to feel connected,
useful and necessary to their communities and society more widely. Along with a diagnosis
of dementia, established roles in their social networks are challenged and can become
difficult to maintain. Art creates a safe yet exciting and rewarding space for individuals
to express themselves creatively, in ways that works for them, providing participants with
cognitive stimulation, experimentation, as well as reconnection to previous skills and the
acquisition of new ones.
Biography
Ellie Robinson-Carter is an Illustrator, Researcher, Creative Dementia Practitioner and Lecturer based in
Falmouth, UK. She devises creative frameworks and invites individuals to take ownership of them, fostering
their authorial voices and personal narratives. Working locally, nationally and internationally she interacts with
people living with dementia and their carers, using creative practice to nurture individual’s self-confidence,
independence and self-expression. She also collaborates with other creative practitioners such as illustrator
Violeta Noy ) and poet Sally Crabtree .
Ellie Robinson-Carter
Sensory Trust, UK
Ellie Robinson-Carter, J Alzheimers Dis Parkinsonism 2019, Volume 09
DOI: 10.4172/2161-0460-C1-060