“People with dementia are just like you and I,” National Gallery of Australia program producer Adriane Boag said on day one of training workshop for arts and health professionals as part of the gallery’s Art and Dementia Outreach Program.

“Why shouldn’t people with dementia test themselves and express themselves.

“The program is about breaking down barriers and helping people to feel comfortable in a gallery space.”

Ms Boag said the program is focused on normalising dementia by educating people in how to connect sufferers of the disease to the world of art.

Members of the region’s artistic community and health professionals involved in the program were given a guided tour of the Bega Valley Regional Gallery, as an example of a place that promotes social inclusion in an intellectually stimulating environment for those who may feel isolated.

“Even if you just rate an artwork between one and ten, it still gives the opportunity for an opinion,” artist Di Tarrant said.

The program is a partnership between the two galleries and South East Arts through the organisation’s Swell – the art of being well initiative.

“It’s really great because people are talking about art and the health sector, and especially about aged care and dementia,” fellow artist Andrea Warren said.

Program participant Bob Weston was another admiring some of the artworks on display as part of the gallery’s current Young and Free: An Australian Discourse exhibition.

“I always thought looking at art was just a way of killing time,” he said.

“Then I started to think about the time and technical skill put into music for example.”

He stood next to Sydney artist’s Alex Seton’s 2014 work titled Life Vest (Emergency), a life jacket made of bronze designed to create quiet consideration in the viewer.

“It’s a marvelous bit of gear,” Mr Weston said.