Creative Connections in Dementia Care, Engaging Activities to Enhance Communication
By Katie Norris, and Jennifer Brush

Making art creates opportunities for meaningful engagement on many levels for people with dementia. Creative Connections in Dementia Care provides care partners with the knowledge and easy-to-follow steps they need to successfully implement art projects in a one-on-one or group setting. No experience is required to implement this program!

Written for anyone who cares for a person with dementia—family members, friends, and professionals—this how-to manual is packed with guidance to help enhance communication, interactions, task breakdown, and problem-solving efforts while also encouraging the abilities of each participant.

People with dementia enjoy valuable benefits when they actively engage in a creative, activity: Stress is reduced, Memories can be accessed, Mood and self-esteem are elevated, A sense of personal identity and achievement is experienced

To help create these opportunities, Creative Connections in Dementia Care provides 105 basic art project “recipes,” detailing supplies, instructions, and activity modifications as well as colorful, step-by-step photographs that show how to demonstrate and lead the activity for the person with dementia. Each art activity is failure-free and does not require memory skills to complete.

Bring joy and a powerful sense of connection to the lives of people experiencing dementia with this one-of-a-kind guide!

“Sometimes the last thing caregivers feel is creative. Here’s an elegantly simple way to invite caregivers to open the door to creativity and feel its transformative powers for people with dementia.” —Anne Bastings, Ph.D., founder, TimeSlips

“This book is a must-have for any caregiver who wants to maintain creativity and joyfulness in persons living with dementia.” —Michelle Bourgeois, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, professor, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Florida

“Simple guidelines for setting up creative activities make this a user-friendly book for professionals and families alike.” —Gail Flott, MA, gerontologist and dementia specialist, DementiaAbility Enterprises, Inc.

“Families of patients in my practice will learn what art can do for a person with dementia.”— Jeffrey L. Cummings, M.D., ScD, Director, Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health