Listening, Witnessing & Connecting: Rethinking Outcomes in Dementia Care
As facilitators, we are often under pressure to deliver outcomes that can be recorded, displayed, or evaluated. Written plans, tangible objects, and ‘visible’ activities are sometimes held up as proof of success, whether by management, families, funders, or even ourselves.
But when working creatively with people living with a dementia, I’ve learned that the most powerful outcomes are not the things you can hang on a wall or capture in a report. They are the moments of listening, witnessing, and connecting that happen in the room, moments that are felt, not measured.
Beyond the activity
Creative activities, whether visual art, music, or dance, provide the structure but they are often not the destination. I learnt this first-hand during my time at Magic Me, with projects guided by their core intergenerational principles - the arts is the vehicle for something deeper: shared experiences, recognition, and connection.
This understanding has been strengthened through my recent work with Remembering Yesterday, Caring Today (RYCT), a creative reminiscence approach that brings together people living with a dementia, their families, and friends. RYCT doesn’t centre on polished artistic outputs; instead, it creates opportunities for human exchange; reciprocal sharing of personal stories, emotions, and experiences.
What I value most about this approach is its inclusiveness. You don’t need specialist training, a large budget, or even to see yourself as ‘creative’ to use it. At its heart, it is about people meeting as equals and being open to what unfolds.
A fresh perspective
This year, alongside practitioner Janet Costley, I co-led an RYCT project working with people living with a dementia and a group of volunteers. Unlike the programme’s usual focus on couples, these sessions didn’t include the dynamic of ‘cared for’ and ‘caregiver’. This new model offered a chance to explore what creative reminiscence looks like when the emphasis is solely on the lived truth of the person living with a dementia.
It also gave me clarity on my role as a facilitator. I realised that my practice rests on three aims: to listen, to witness, and to connect.
What this looks like in practice
Listening
This goes beyond hearing words. It means paying attention to gestures, silences, and fragments of memory that arise - not dismissing words, phrases or even sounds. Listening deeply allows us to notice and respond to communication that might otherwise be overlooked.
Witnessing
To witness is to be present with empathy, without judgment and often without the ability to ‘act’. It’s about holding space for personal stories and all emotions that are present - even those rooted in sadness, grief and trauma. Witnessing someone's story without judgement, without interference and without ‘fixing’ but providing acceptance and acknowledging significance.
Connecting
Connection happens through shared experiences: singing a song, exploring a photograph, or holding a hand. These moments affirm identity and dignity, reminding us of what endures even as memory shifts.
Rethinking ‘outcomes’
Many care professionals, arts and health workers know that not everything of value can be recorded on a chart. Sometimes, the most meaningful outcomes cannot be framed or filed, but they can be transformative in the moment and have a lasting impact, be that long or short-term.
That’s why I believe listening, witnessing, and connecting deserve recognition as meaningful outcomes in dementia care. They may not be tangible, but they foster dignity, belonging, and humanity, things that matter deeply to the people we support.
These three aims, listening, witnessing, and connecting, have become the foundation of my facilitation practice. They remind me that creativity is not about producing but about building bridges: between past and present, between ourselves and the people in the room.
If we, as facilitators, can hold space for these less visible outcomes, we create conditions where people living with a dementia feel recognised, respected, and connected. And that, in itself, is a powerful outcome.
Practical Tips for Care or Community Settings
Here are three simple ways to intentionally bring listening, witnessing, and connecting into everyday practice:
Pause before responding
Allow silences. A gentle pause often gives someone space to find their words, or to communicate in another way, through expression or gesture.Name the moment
When you notice a smile, a laugh, or maybe even sadness, acknowledge it out loud. It validates the person’s experience and shows others in the room that these small moments matter.Use everyday prompts for connection
Music, familiar scents, or photographs don’t have to be part of a structured session. Bringing these into daily routines can open up moments of shared memory and belonging.
