Helix ArCH
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Art, Authenticity and Citizenship in Care Homes
IRAS ID
220663
Contact name
Simon Woods
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 0 days
Research summary
This project focuses on the notions of authenticity and citizenship in the context of people living with dementia in care homes. We shall ask: To what extent and how do people with dementia living in care homes express their authentic voice and demonstrate their citizenship whilst working with an artist? People live authentically when they can be true to themselves. Citizenship refers to the person’s rights and obligations, but also to his or her social identity as part of civil society. Given the reality of life in a care home and the losses associated with ageing, authenticity and citizenship are under threat. Furthermore, both notions are contested. Through a collaborative pilot project, bringing together academics, artists and a care home community we shall interrogate these concepts. Using qualitative ethnographic methods (observation and interviews), and based on our previous research, we shall probe how authenticity and citizenship might be maintained or enhanced by an art intervention, which will involve attention to the residents' narratives and to the meaning of their lives both prior to living in the care home and subsequently. We shall consider: how authenticity and citizenship are demonstrated; factors that might contribute to their realization; and whether it is feasible to pursue a larger similarly constructed research proposal involving one or both of these notions and encompassing the whole life course of dementia.
REC name
Social Care REC
REC reference
17/IEC08/0012
Date of REC Opinion
25 Apr 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion