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Background and Objectives Among the various psychosocial interventions aiming at improving behavior, quality of life, and the well-being of people with dementia, one that has attracted recent attention has been object handling. This scoping review synthesizes available studies on object handling for people with dementia, their effects, and methodological characteristics and describes its components and likely domains. Research Design and Methods The search was conducted using CINAHL, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, PsycARTICLES, Academic Search Elite, and Art Full Text, plus review of reference lists and hand search. Data from the studies included were chattered and reported in narrative form. Results Eleven studies were included; of which, 9 described a group intervention and 10 investigated the distinctive value of heritage items. Studies used a mixed-methods or qualitative design and varied in their procedures, including number of sessions and length of intervention. Most studies reported positive effects on well-being, mood, and emotion in those with dementia. Qualitative investigations revealed that the co-construction of an object’s meaning facilitated new learning, social inclusion, and change in attitudes toward dementia. From the review and stakeholder consultations, a definition of object handling is proposed, which includes three components: presenting, receiving, and responding. Discussion and Implications The findings suggest that people with dementia may benefit from object handling interventions as a means of improving well-being, mood, and social inclusion. The review highlighted a variety of approaches used and a small number of studies were identified under the term of “object handling.” Further studies are needed to examine the complexity of object handling, its impact within dementia care settings, and that explicitly use the term “object handling.” Given the focus to date on heritage, archive, and museum objects, more studies involving the handling of everyday material objects are needed because these are by definition highly accessible.

Background and Objectives Among the various psychosocial interventions aiming at improving behavior, quality of life, and the well-being of people with dementia, one that has attracted recent attention has been object handling. This scoping review synthesizes available studies on object handling for people with dementia, their effects, and methodological characteristics and describes its components and likely domains. Research Design and Methods The search was conducted using CINAHL, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, PsycARTICLES, Academic Search Elite, and Art Full Text, plus review of reference lists and hand search. Data from the studies included were chattered and reported in narrative form. Results Eleven studies were included; of which, 9 described a group intervention and 10 investigated the distinctive value of heritage items. Studies used a mixed-methods or qualitative design and varied in their procedures, including number of sessions and length of intervention. Most studies reported positive effects on well-being, mood, and emotion in those with dementia. Qualitative investigations revealed that the co-construction of an object’s meaning facilitated new learning, social inclusion, and change in attitudes toward dementia. From the review and stakeholder consultations, a definition of object handling is proposed, which includes three components: presenting, receiving, and responding. Discussion and Implications The findings suggest that people with dementia may benefit from object handling interventions as a means of improving well-being, mood, and social inclusion. The review highlighted a variety of approaches used and a small number of studies were identified under the term of “object handling.” Further studies are needed to examine the complexity of object handling, its impact within dementia care settings, and that explicitly use the term “object handling.” Given the focus to date on heritage, archive, and museum objects, more studies involving the handling of everyday material objects are needed because these are by definition highly accessible.

Supplemental Material, sj-pdf-1-dem-10.1177_14713012221082377 for Olfactory stimulation for people with dementia: A rapid review by Federica D’Andrea, Victoria Tischler, Tom Dening and Anne Churchill in Dementia

Gesundheitsforschung. Perspektiven der Sozialwissenschaften., Cite as: Zürcher, Markus et al (2013): Bulletin 3/13 «Gesundheitsforschung. Perspektiven der Sozialwissenschaften».

Supplemental Material, sj-pdf-2-dem-10.1177_14713012211020143 for ‘The Jigsaw Culture of Care’: A qualitative analysis of montessori-based programming for dementia care in the United Kingdom by Shruti Raghuraman and Victoria Tischler in Dementia

Supplemental Material, sj-pdf-1-dem-10.1177_14713012211020143 for ‘The Jigsaw Culture of Care’: A qualitative analysis of montessori-based programming for dementia care in the United Kingdom by Shruti Raghuraman and Victoria Tischler in Dementia

People aged 65 and older outnumber children under the age of five across the globe. Data from the United Nations indicates that the growing aging population is not living better. Conditions such as dementia, stroke and Parkinson's disease are increasing with few effective treatments available. Psychosocial approaches to improve care are therefore urgently needed. Use of music in the care of older people is becoming common with a growing evidence base indicating positive outcomes such as reduction in anxiety, elicitation of memories, and improved communication. During the COVID-19 pandemic technology has provided the primary means of communication and service provision. This research used a case study approach to explore the impact of using WhatsApp during the pandemic (March - May 2020) to send daily videos and songs with and without musical accompaniment, plus tutorials for writing and singing songs. 27 people aged 60-87 years in Castellón, Spain took part. Of those, 12 were interviewed using a semi-structured approach. Data was analysed qualitatively using QuestionPro software. The results indicated the importance of musical activity in their lives and the difficulties experienced in using technologies including WhatsApp and GoogleMeet. Whilst participants valued the WhatsApp sessions they were not able to replicate the advantages of performing musical activities in person. In conclusion, technologies can help older people to remain connected to musical activities however training and support is required to facilitate effective engagement. This is likely to be an issue beyond the pandemic, for example for those who are geographically isolated or frail and unable to attend music activities in person. Nevertheless, new technologies support pseudonormality in musical activities for older people, providing an interactive platform when in-person contact is not possible.