Background: Art-based interventions have been shown to be beneficial for the well-being of people with dementia and their caregivers. This article explored whether such interventions can be delivered via a touchscreen tablet device displaying art images. Method: Twelve pairs of volunteers with dementia and informal caregivers were recruited (N = 24). A quasiexperimental mixed-methods within-subjects study evaluated the wellbeing impacts of art viewing using visual analogue scales and explored participant experiences with thematic analysis. Findings: Quantitative results before Bonferroni correction showed a significant effect for change in composite well-being from session 1 to Session 5 but this became nonsignificant after the correction was applied. Well-being subdomains generally increased with number of sessions. Qualitative findings included changes in cognition, behavior, mood, and relationships. These changes tended to viewed positively. Conclusion: The results suggest touchscreen-based art interventions could yield well-being benefits for this population. A larger scale controlled study would help determine whether wider dementia care practice implications can be drawn.
