A – 103 Play with Purpose: Building a Trauma-Informed Framework for Engagement in Dementia Care

Abstract Objective This project explored how trauma-informed, play-based strategies originally developed for children can be adapted to enhance emotional well-being, identity, and dignity for older adults with dementia. Drawing from the Playmaker University (PMU) curriculum, the study aimed to reimagine the role of play in dementia care while acknowledging the emotional weight and complexity of end-of-life contexts. Method A two-phase qualitative study was conducted. First, PMU’s 10-module curriculum was critically analyzed for relevance to dementia care, with attention to emotional regulation, structured choice-making, and trauma sensitivity. Second, ethnographic data was collected through open-ended reflection prompts and questionnaires from volunteer “Champions” affiliated with The Engaged Brains Project in Pinehurst, NC, including care staff, family members, and community advocates. Results Champions defined brain change primarily through the lens of loss—cognitive, physical, and relational—and struggled to identify dignified forms of adult play. Traditional suggestions often veered toward infantilizing activities (e.g., “Simon Says,” dolls, singalongs), revealing a disconnect between therapeutic intent and lived caregiving experience. Champions also had difficulty connecting play to daily care routines and shared few examples of play as relational presence. This signals a systemic gap in training, emotional bandwidth, and shared language. Conclusion Adapting trauma-informed play to dementia care requires redefining play as micro-moments of attunement, curiosity, and relational connection. Future design must integrate play into care tasks, reframe it as presence rather than product, and develop age-appropriate, dignity-forward models that acknowledge both the emotional gravity and creative potential of dementia care.