by Lorna

As part of Dementia Awareness Week 2026, Impact Arts is celebrating the importance of creativity and meaningful connection for people living with dementia at every stage of their journey. Through our Craft Café programme at Viewpoint in Edinburgh, we create welcoming creative spaces where residents can express themselves, connect with others and experience moments of joy through art.

One of those participants is *Lorna.

Lorna is a resident at St Raphael’s Care Home and has been attending Craft Café since September 2024. Craft Café allows residents to take part in artist-led workshops in both community and care home settings, offering creative engagement, social connection and space for self-expression.

From the beginning, Lorna brought warmth, kindness and creativity into the room. She has a keen interest in art and loves spending time with others. A big animal lover with a fondness for music and Jaffa Cakes, Lorna had attended art classes before moving into St Raphael’s and was excited to discover Craft Café within the care home.

As she settled into her new surroundings, Craft Café became a familiar and comforting part of her routine. At first, Lorna would attend for short periods, but over time, her confidence and comfort within the group began to grow. She became more familiar with the artists, staff and fellow participants, building friendships and connections along the way.

Whenever the team passed her in the corridor, Lorna would often smile and say:

“I was looking for you!”

On another occasion, spotting two members of the team together, she warmly greeted them with:

“I saw you two, and I thought ‘there’s my pals!’”

These moments reflect something deeply important about Craft Café. While creativity and artistic expression are central to the sessions, the sense of belonging, familiarity and companionship that develops within the space can be equally meaningful, particularly for people living with mid and later-stage dementia.

Lorna especially enjoys working with watercolour and is often drawn to shades of blue, creating beautiful seascapes inspired by colour and movement. Her artwork has featured in two Craft Café exhibitions, as well as on calendars and greeting cards produced through the project. She takes great pride in seeing her work displayed, often pointing it out with a smile and saying:

“That’s mine.”

Or simply:

“That’s quite good!”

Like many people living with dementia, Lorna’s creative process changes from day to day. At times, she found it difficult to stay focused on painting, becoming distracted by conversations or music within the room. Rather than seeing this as a barrier, the Craft Café team adapted their approach to support the way Lorna naturally wanted to engage with the space.

Through experimentation, they discovered that using limited colour palettes and playful creative constraints helped Lorna reconnect with painting. A collaborative black-and-white mark-making project became a turning point, helping her feel more confident putting brush to paper again.

More recently, the team introduced a technique where paper is placed directly into the paint palette, allowing Lorna to squeeze paint onto the page before blending it with water and brushwork. The process has helped her remain more focused while also opening up exciting new ways of creating expressive abstract artwork.

Throughout every session, Lorna remains a calm, positive and caring presence. She enjoys working independently while still staying engaged with those around her, always entering the room with a smile and a gentle word for others.

Her journey highlights the importance of providing meaningful creative opportunities for people living with dementia beyond the early stages often represented in community programmes. At Craft Café Edinburgh, we believe creativity, connection and self-expression remain important at every stage of life.

As Dementia Awareness Week reminds us, moments of joy, familiarity, pride and friendship matter deeply, and creativity can continue to unlock those moments in powerful ways.

We look forward to seeing Lorna continue exploring new materials, techniques and inspirations at Craft Café, while spending time with her friends and creating many more beautiful paintings along the way.

You can learn more about life at Viewpoint Care Home on their website or get in touch if you’d like to find out more about how our creative programmes like Craft Café are enriching later life.

Impact Arts is a community arts charity based in Scotland. Since 1994, we’ve been delivering creative arts and support programmes for children, young people, adults, families, and older people who are facing disadvantages or barriers to progress in life. Our mission is to tackle inequalities, address poverty, and transform lives through art and creativity.