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Theatre meets dementia

The opportunity to open new spaces for reflection and action.

Cost

3500.- CHF

Credits

10 ECTS

Language

IT/FR

Teacher conductors

Rita Pezzati
Professor, Psychologist-psychotherapist

Dante Carbini
Actor, Neo-Reichian Breath/Bodywork

If you are interested in this course, write to us at fc.accademiadimitri@supsi.ch and we will give you more information.

Targets

  • In this course, participants will be broadening their gaze to that part of aging that brings with it unexpected changes linked to a trend of cognitive decline. Nevertheless, as James McKillop, a person who lives this experience, says: "I can assure you that, no matter how bad you feel at first, it is still possible to live a quality life even when you have dementia. It may not be the life you had before, but it is a life full of promise..."

  • Recognize that the possibility of interacting with others in respect of the reception of his condition of Life starts first of all from a dimension of listening to themselves and the promotion of their physical, psychological and emotional balance.[DF1]  This awareness promotes a state of well-being that opens up a free and independent space, where participants can feel welcomed and safe together with each other.

  • ​Find through the comparison with the theatrical and artistic gaze, the possibilities to transmit your own feeling and interact with sensitivity, delicacy, precision and firmness to live together a pleasant and maybe regenerating experience for all.

  • Provide a small set of essential knowledge about Alzheimer’s disease (and other forms of cognitive decline) and the different ways of meeting with people with dementia: thanks to the experiences proposed in this course we will try to build bridges between what we are and offer as a space of tuning and meeting (each with its uniqueness) in welcoming and listening to the expression of their Being of every person affected by dementia

  • Building tools to recognize the identity that persists despite the advance of neurodegenerative disease passing from interlocutor to interrator

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To whom it is addressed

  • Social and health workers, doctors, social workers, nursing assistants, medical staff, psychologists, psychotherapists, counselors, animators, specialists in activation and educators eager to introduce in their professional interaction communicative skills enriched by a theatrical and artistic look and a deep listening to themselves.

  • Actors, poets, painters, sculptors, musicians, and other artists, with or without relevant experience, who wish to bring their professionalism in the support of dementia. All artists must respect and understand the needs of people living with this condition, to create accurate and sustainable proposals.

  • Also to those who are experiencing dementia first-hand, whether in early or later stages, of a close person, and are eager to recognize the channels still available for interaction. These participants will acquire the necessary communicative skills both to support one’s own emotional reactions and tools for appropriate interaction. The course will help participants seize the opportunities still present in this new stage of life.

Methodology

  • Knowledge of the biological, psychological, and emotional condition of people with dementia, to understand how the condition of a person with dementia irreversibly changes their life.

  • Study of the perception of individual "feeling", also using techniques related to practices of "Neo-Reichian breath/bodywork", which will allow for the exploration of breathing space.

  • Comparison with the world of theatre using some elements of a theatrical pedagogy that will accompany participants to the discovery and development of individual expressive skills in interaction with each other.

  • Changing perspectives through Plastic Art and Music, bringing a heightened awareness to visual focus, deep listening, etc.

  • Direct confrontations with people who are suffering from dementia. A meeting accompanied and supported both in the field and with individual and group supervision.

Duration and calendar

  • The workshop consist of 4 quarterly intensive residential weekends, interspersed with monthly one-day meetings.

  • The total hours comprises practical and theoretical training and the preparation of one’s final work, the form and content of which will be determined during the training period according to the interests and curiosities of each individual participant.

  • The CAS schedules are flexible and can vary between 5 and 7 hours per day depending on the possibilities and needs of instructors and participants.

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