Psychological effects of poetry workshops with people with early stage dementia: an exploratory study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of writing poetry on psychological functioning in people with early stage dementia. METHOD: A series of poetry writing workshops was conducted with four women, at the end of which a one-on-one short structured interview was conducted. RESULTS: All of the women said that they benefited from the workshops, but their experiences differed greatly. Themes included competence and self-efficacy, personal growth, wanting to contribute and poetry writing as a way of coping with the progression of the condition. CONCLUSION: Creative activities such as writing poetry hold promise for enhancing the quality of life of people with dementia.