Social citizenship, public art and dementia: Walking the urban waterfront with Paul’s Club

Abstract

Among gerontologists and health researchers, there is growing recognition of the importance of social participation and inclusion towards the health, well-being and quality of life of people with dementia. This paper examines the role of public artworks to facilitate the social citizenship of people with dementia. It is based on a subset of data from a larger study on community-based programmes for persons living with dementia and examines how Paul’s Club, a social recreation group for people with young onset dementia, experience the public art they encounter on their daily walks through the downtown core and around the Seawall of Vancouver, Canada. Analysis suggests that public art not only helped members navigate urban spaces, but also provided a focus for curiosity that leads to meaningful social interaction and place-based conversations, clearly contributing to group enjoyment and a sense of community belonging. Implications of this study relate to community programming, social citizenship, community design, public art and community engaged art practice, as well as health and social care for persons with dementia.

Keywords

• dementia
• community programming
• young onset dementia
• social citizenship
• outdoor environments
• public art
• social participation