Therapeutic Puppetry as a Drama-Therapy Intervention for People Living with Dementia

Abstract

This case study examines a therapeutic puppetry project conducted by a drama therapist in a dementia unit at a daycare center in Israel. Three people with dementia and three drama-therapy students participated. The intervention included three genres of puppetry. A qualitative case study was conducted following the project. The students’ and the therapist’s records and the photos of the puppetry were analyzed according to the case study design. Four themes were generated: (1) Puppetry encourages the flow of creativity; (2) puppetry encourages self-expression and authenticity; (3) puppetry supports memory and the sequence of the therapeutic process; (4) puppetry leads to a transformation of the inner experience. The findings point to the contribution of the project for people with dementia.

Arts Therapies and Arts-Based Interventions for Older Adults

“…This study is one of the first to introduce puppetry as a drama therapy intervention for individuals with dementia and showcases a therapeutic procedure incorporating three puppetry genres. The findings show how puppetry fosters creativity, facilitates self-expression and authenticity, supports memory and the therapeutic sequence, and leads to inner experience transformation (Harel, 2024).…”