Fine Art and Dementia: Looking at Paintings and Assessment for People with Dementia

This article describes an innovative teaching session designed and implemented at the University of Worcester, on the Foundation Degree in Dementia Studies. The class utilised teaching from art that was not linked in any way to the dementia context to promote learning for the students in a clinical aspect of their studies, that is assessment of need. Students reported that the approach enabled them to reflect upon their learning and engaged them in original learning, specifically new ways of thinking about aspects of their clinical practice. Additionally, new insight was provided into the value artworks may have as ‘creaturely objects’: as companions we have in our lives in a similar way to having animal or human companions. The article suggests that this pedagogic technique has wider implications; the approach of using fine art could be employed within a range of academic disciplines to encourage reflection upon learning and generate new insights.