The Art of Care: practical, playful, and powerful ways to connect in dementia care.
Parallel 5
18 November, 2026 2:10 – 3:20 pmCultivating Champions: Staff Development and Compassionate Support in Care Homes
Rachael Savage is Artistic Director of Vamos Theatre, the UK’s leading full mask theatre company, and an internationally recognised arts in health practitioner. For over 20 years she has pioneered arts-based approaches to dementia care, working in more than 200 care homes and reaching over 200,000 people through performances, training and participation programmes. Her work explores empathy, non-verbal communication, playfulness and human connection, driving culture change across health and social care. Rachael has delivered training across the UK and internationally, including with Alley Theatre, Texas and the National Organization for Arts in Health, USA.
Summary
Specialists in non-verbal communication and arts in health, Vamos Theatre has worked with and for people living with dementia since 2013. This talk explores the ethos and experience behind The Art of Care, a new online, low-cost training course for carers, showing practically how compassionate, person-centred, playful care positively impacts people living with dementia, and exploring the art of making connections beyond words. Presented by Artistic Director, Rachael Savage, it will be a lively, engaging and inspiring presentation that follows the 14-year journey that led to The Art of Care, the partnership with the staff and residents of PrimeLife care homes that informed and motivated its making, and Vamos Theatre’s wider ethos across its work to transform lives by building empathy and human connection.



