Art and dementia
The use of art in dementia care is a valuable tool in enriching the lives of people with dementia.
Background[]
Being engaged with visual and performing arts provides opportunities for people with dementia to express themselves creatively. Through the process of creating an image or participating in a song for example, a person with dementia may access long or short term memories. Being engaged in the arts may provide an access to emotions, self-exploration, thoughts, dreams and hopes.
While scientists are racing to find a cure, according to the Alzheimer Society of Canada,[1] about half a million Canadians were living with dementia in 2009. The arts provide a non-pharmaceutical approach that helps alleviate anxiety and confusion and provide some respite for people with dementia and their caregivers. Being engaged in the arts is a positive way of maintaining or improving one's quality of life, especially those who live with dementia.[2]
Films on art and dementia[]
The documentary film I Remember Better When I Paint examines the way creative arts bypass the limitations of dementias such as Alzheimer's disease. The film highlights how patients' still-vibrant imaginations are strengthened through therapeutic art.[3]
See also[]
References[]
- ^ "Alzheimer's Society Canada". Retrieved 7 August 2010.
- ^ Oliver James (20 December 2008). "The Guardian, Art - the key to unlocking dementia".
- ^ "Alzheimer's and Dementia Weekly magazine". Retrieved 7 August 2010.[permanent dead link]
- Dementia
- Art therapy