DEMEDARTS Dementia. Empathy. Education. Arts.

125 million people worldwide live with dementia, 10 million in Europe alone. The number of people affected increases every three seconds and will have doubled by 2050. Personal and social challenges are the result. When tasks such grocery shopping, money transactions and travelling to unknown places become difficult and people with dementia withdraw from society for fear of rejection and embarrassment, it is not only those affected who need support, but above all society must be sensitized. DEMEDARTS, funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) A-609 PEEK, addresses these challenges. DEMEDARTS is located at the Center for Didactics in Art and Interdisciplinary Teaching at the University of Applied Arts, in collaboration with national cooperation partners: mdw - University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna: W. Aigner for music education; University of Vienna: F. Kayali digitalization in schools; Alzheimer Austria: A. Croy, president of Alzheimer Austria; Haus der Barmherzigkeit: B. Hobl, psychiatry for the elderly; M.C. Gambal, Dep. Director of the nursing staff; Schulschiff: H.Schwarz, for education and international cooperation partners: S. McNiff (US), for artistic research and health, Cambridge; V.F. Gould (GB), President at Arts4Dementia; T. von Eca (PT), President of INSEA, society of art educators of the world; R. Smilde (NL), for Meaningful Music in Healthcare; The team of researchers led by R. Mateus-Berr: W. Aigner, L. Al-Mousli, C. Carli, N. Gharanshir, L. Girotto, V. Gruber, S. Guserl, S. Muzler, J. Schaitl, P. Scharler consists of art & music & dance educators, artists, teachers, musicians, multimedial art therapists, authors, designers, performers is now developing the first art-based teaching concept to sensitize young people in schools and universities, since there is no school strategy for dementia education (through art). The questions of how art and design strategies can help secondary school students to develop more empathy for people with dementia and how artistic research can affect the cross-generational well-being of people with dementia are addressed. Following the principle of phenomenon based learning, artistic interventions to change the sensory perception of healthy people and the general society are being developed to empathetically raise social awareness of the situation of people with dementia. This will be achieved through art-based methods and collaboration between people with mild cognitive impairment, artists, people with moderate dementia, teachers, people without dementia, therapists, university and secondary students. DEMEDARTS comprises all arts and aims at the development and integration of empathic skills for dementia in schools in Austria, institutions and workshops for people living with dementia & relatives. Although it is not yet possible to medically completely cure dementia, art and design can help to improve the attitude towards and for people living with it.

RESULTS ART & DESIGN WORKS DEMEDARTS created more than 70 artworks: movies, paintings, performances, interventions, art and design objects, installations, prints, a graphic novel, a typography, a book, 2 design-tables, drawing instruments, walkers (rollators), jewelry and arts-based workshops. METHODS DEMEDARTS developed mediation methods based on artistic research. At least two concepts for applied research ideas have emerged from the artistic work of basic research: New test procedures for dementia, haptics and memory in dementia. ACTIONS Art Exhibitions Peer-reviewed Publications City Walks for people with dementia and the public, Walker Parades to raise awareness, to speak up for those affected. Public Workshops at the European Researchers Night, conferences (AT, abroad), museums, hospitals, cafés, pedestrian zones, online, for people with dementia, relatives, care staff. Workshops at Schools for sensibilization, co-creation of tools to better deal with those affected. Online Workshops for patients, relatives, carers, school classes. Free of charge (https://www.demedarts.com/toolbook). Lectures on research, contributions at peer-reviewed conferences; self-organized symposia Panel discussions as part of the Venice Biennial, Künstlerhaus, Depot, Kurdirektion Bad Ischl, City of Villach, City of Vienna. IMPACT OF WORK Through our presentations, we have placed the topic of dementia at the center of attention and have been able to raise awareness. We inspired the government-funded project 'Arts for Health Austria', collaborated with Dementia Strategy Austria: a strategy on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Health and Consumer Protection, Councilor for Social Affairs, Health and Sport, UNESCO, City of Villach, City of Vienna, Ludwig Boltzmann Institute, Dementia Support Stuttgart, the Deputy Chairman of Aktion Demenz, European Working Group of People with Dementia, are Peer reviewer of the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Dementia Observatory: https://globaldementia.org/en/about-gdo Selected OUTCOME 1 PHD thesis in progress 1 Bachelor thesis 1 Matura/Baccelaurea thesis invited as reviewer of the peer-reviewed journal: Applied Arts & Health/intellect publishers invited member of: Institute for Medical & Health Humanities and Artistic Research (IMHAR) Peer Reviewer for World Health Organisation WHO/Global Dementia Observatory. 18 peer-reviewed publications 16 art exhibitions ~ 40 Toolbooks ~ 70 art works 38 national and international presentations of the artistic research work at peer-reviewed conferences, invited panel discussions (live-streams) ~ 5,800 pupils reached via workshops 3 movies about the project and/or artistic interventions 2 self-organized public symposia 2 radio-shows about the project ~ 2.200 people during lock downs, online workshops and live streams ~ 2,500 visitors at Künstlerhaus Vienna Cooperation with 25 (Art) Universities, 11 art institutions, 11 care institutions, etc.