THIS GROUP of 6 older adults had weekly sessions held in their residential home. All the group members had varying degrees of dementia. They were very different in terms of personality, background and ethnicity but were all referred to the group for similar reasons.

THESE WERE to improve
• relationships
• communication
• self-esteem and to reduce isolation.

THEY WERE also physically frail and unable to walk without assistance.

AFTER A FEW weeks of dramatherapy the group started to interact more with each other and the activities. One theme was of ‘portraits’. Each group member was invited to choose an image to represent themselves, and to think about: Where are they? What are they thinking? What is their name? etc. After a few weeks of dramatherapy the group started to interact more with each other and the activities.

THE DRAMATHERAPY sessions developed imagination, creativity and communication. Everyone enjoyed the dramatherapy and there was a surge in the development of relationships within the group. For example, it helped one group member find her strength. Gladys had advanced dementia and was very withdrawn but she shone in this activity. She not only embodied and posed for her own chosen image but offered to help another group member, which changed how the rest of the group perceived Gladys.

Photo credit: Norma Desmond on VisualHunt / CC BY-NC-SA