Transforming Undergraduate Student Perceptions of Dementia through Music and Filmmaking

• DOI: 10.1111/jgs.16418
• Publication Date: 2020-05-06T07:53:51Z
• Authors: Jennie Gubner; Alexander K. Smith; Theresa A. Allison
• Keywords: Filmmaking; Thematic Analysis

BACKGROUND With nearly 6 million people with dementia (PWD) in the United States, there is a critical need to build an interprofessional workforce. Among novel approaches expanding new workforce, music and arts show promise for engaging students trainees. To understand how why affect attitudes about engagement PWD, we examined service‐learning general education undergraduate course centering on music, filmmaking, dementia. METHODS The curriculum brought meet PWD care settings, personalized playlists, coproduce short films write reflective essays. Two researchers independently completed inductive thematic analysis of films, essays, evaluations. Differences were reconciled by consensus. RESULTS A total 52 from three classes course; 24 (46%) majoring health sciences. Three key themes emerged: (1) Music helps connect living meaningful ways; (2) filmmaking offers opportunity share unique, person‐centered stories that empower voices PWD; (3) writing enables process experiences lessons learned. Unexpectedly, 29 (56%) reported continued their careers, families, communities after completion. CONCLUSION This study identifies reproducible ways which courses thematically focused not only transform student perceptions but change those choose engage following Arts departments may represent untapped resource building geriatrics J Am Geriatr Soc 68:1083–1089, 2020