Activities Director’s Quarterly for Alzheimer’s & Other Dementia Patients

Full text articles  and books reviewed are available to fee paying members of Alzheimer’s Australia NSW by emailing NSW.Library@alzheimers.org.au 

The use of art to provide memory support for individuals with Alzheimer’s-type dementia

Art  can be used to provide memory support for people with dementia through stimulating implicit memories to increase cognition.  An overview of supportive literature is provided.

p. 5-8 

Evaluating the effectiveness of arts activities for elderly patients with Alzheimer’s disease

Arts activities were planned for mid-to high functioning patients with Alzheimer’s Disease.  The primary objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of five different artist-led activities that encouraged participatory interaction.  The arts represented were music, collage, dance, painting, and sculpture.  The patients who participated were residents in a controlled environment specifically designed for promoting independence while providing 24 hour care for persons diagnosed with AD.

p. 9-17 

Planning a successful art therapy program

The main objectives of these programs are to bring participants comfort, enjoyment, and the opportunity to be creative and interactive with others.  In addition to supplying guidelines and considerations for developing art therapy programs, this article provides a sample eight-week program with lesson plans of proven activities.

p. 19-34

Art therapy: A natural with dementia patients

This article provides a working definition of art therapy and explains the many ways it can benefit people with dementia.  Of equal importance is knowing how to set up an art therapy program that will benefit people of varying functioning levels.

p. 35-40

Art therapy: a natural with dementia patients – Part II: a curriculum for an art therapy program

The objective of art therapy is to benefit people with dementia of varying functioning levels by providing an opportunity for self-expression, life review, reducing depression or other psychological problems, building self-esteem, increasing concentration, improving fine motor skills, and socialization.

p. 41-46

The Library holds a number of books on art therapy including:

The expressive arts activity book : a resource for professionals
This resource comprises a collection of accessible, flexible, tried-and-tested activities for use with people in a range of care settings, to help them explore their knowledge of themselves and to make sense of their experiences.
Among the issues addressed by the activities are exploring physical changes, emotional trauma, interpersonal problems and spiritual dilemmas. Featuring individual and group activities of varying difficulty, including card making, painting to music, meditation, and body mapping, it also includes real-life anecdotes that bring the techniques to life.

The hen that laid the golden omelette : a guide to art classes for people with dementia: the experiences and learning of two volunteers over ten years
Even when the memory and senses fail, people with dementia may experience the joy of creativity through watercolour painting. This is the liberating message of Barbara Davison and Barbara Potter's inspiring Sefton Art Project.  
The creative arts in dementia care : practical person-centred approaches and ideas
After explaining why adopting a creative approach is central to effective dementia care, the authors go on to discuss meditation, singing, movement and storytelling, describing the therapeutic benefits of each and giving practical examples of how they can be used with individuals or groups.

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