Expressions of Personhood in Alzheimer's Disease: An Evaluation of Research-Based Theatre as a Pedagogical Tool

An evaluation of health practitioners' perceptions of this theatrical adaptation as a pedagogical tool suggests that there was a perceived relevance of the production to practitioners' practices, an increased understanding gained from attending the production, and a strong endorsement of the use of drama as an educational tool for disseminating information about dementia care.

Abstract

A growing number of scholars are turning to dramatic performance as an innovative approach to disseminating the results of qualitative research. With an interest in this aesthetic practice, the authors transformed ethnographic research on personhood in Alzheimer's disease into a dramatic production, Expressions of Personhood in Alzheimer's , which was performed at the outset of focus group discussions with health practitioners. In this article, the authors report the results of an evaluation of health practitioners' perceptions of this theatrical adaptation as a pedagogical tool. Data from the focus group discussions and a self-administered post-performance survey suggest that there was a perceived relevance of the production to practitioners' practices, an increased understanding gained from attending the production, and a strong endorsement of the use of drama as an educational tool for disseminating information about dementia care.