Grant by the Dutch foundation ‘Ouderenparticipatie

The project ‘Poëzie- en verhalenkabinet: Cultuurparticipatie van ouderen met dementie door middel van het gesproken woord’ has been awarded a grant by the Dutch foundation ‘Ouderenparticipatie’ for its creative approaches in dementia care. The project was developed by Aagje Swinnen (FASoS, Centre for Gender and Diversity / Department of Literature and Art), Pieternel Fleskens (Hubert van Eyck Academy; FASoS, Department of Literature and Art) and Benoît Vanraes (community art collective SOAPera).

The grant facilitates (1) the organization of twenty art interventions in dementia care modeled after the Alzheimer’s Poetry Project and Timeslips, (2) the translation of the results from the interventions into an artistic form that highlights the capabilities of people with dementia as well as the possibilities of the spoken word as tool for care, and (3) a publication on the project’s rationale and outcomes. The project (that will run till March 2016) is an example of Public Humanities in that it brings academic and societal partners together in its project design, methodology and output.

The project is part of the Centre for Gender and Diversity programme.