Art and Dementia
Studies show art activities can ease anxiety, agitation, and depression in people with dementia, while boosting confidence and calm.
Older adult painting with a brush and color palette
Art and Dementia
Why Art?
For centuries, art has been an important way to help people express what they cannot put into words. In recent years, the combination of art and dementia has increasingly become the focus of programs designed for people living with dementia. Art activities are also a regular program at RUKUN Senior Living and RUKUN Senior Care. The process of creating and appreciating a piece of art offers benefits not only for people with dementia or Alzheimer's, but also for those who care for them.
While direct research on the effects of art on the brain remains limited, studies show that artistic engagement can help ease behavioral symptoms of dementia such as anxiety, agitation, and depression. Art can also boost a sense of calm and self-confidence, and help stimulate memory. Given these positive effects for people with dementia and Alzheimer's, the people around them benefit as well from having art activities in place.
Read Also: The Importance of Interacting with People Living with Dementia
Research on the Benefits of Art
A study on art and dementia conducted in California, involving participants with early- to moderate-stage dementia, found that more than 80 percent of participants were able to stay focused during 30–45 minute sessions. Most participants were reported to smile, laugh, and enjoy the activity. In a follow-up study, an art-making program involving one-hour sessions once a week for five weeks led to greater self-confidence among participants, compared with another group that only took part in discussion or simple craft activities.
In an experiment in Japan involving 39 people with mild Alzheimer's, participants in the art activity appeared less apathetic than a comparison group doing simple math exercises. In another study involving 45 people in the UK with mild to moderate dementia, participants in a once-weekly program over 40 weeks showed improvements in physical ability. They also became more interactive and calmer compared with a group engaged in recreational activities.
Read Also: The Difference Between Dementia and Alzheimer's
Benefits of Art for People with Dementia
Several factors make art a particularly good activity choice for someone with dementia. Most importantly, the ability to create and enjoy art tends to remain relatively intact in people with dementia. Impairments in memory, thinking, and communication are usually not a barrier to creating art, particularly at the moderate stage of dementia. Art is also a form of expressing feelings and emotion. Non-verbal skills tend to be less affected than verbal skills over the course of Alzheimer's disease.
People with dementia often still carry significant internal emotions, which art can offer a way to express. Most people with dementia continue to express a range of emotions through their facial expressions. Through the use of line, shape, and color, art provides a way for them to channel their emotions and inner feelings. In the process of creating art, a person can often feel completely absorbed, carried by their internal creative instinct. This can give the artist a sense of purpose and meaning, as well as an overall sense of wellbeing.
Read Also: The Role of Touch as Dementia Therapy
Medical professionals, families, and other care providers are always looking for ways to improve the quality of life of someone living with dementia. Alzheimer's medications only offer limited benefits and do nothing to stop the progression of the disease. Making and appreciating art is something that can easily be incorporated into the daily life of a person with dementia, offering benefits for both them and the people around them.
RUKUN Senior Care
Email: info@rukunseniorliving.com
Phone: 021 8795 1525
Reference:
Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation, How Art Can Aid People with Alzheimer's
Research shows that artistic engagement can help ease behavioral symptoms of dementia such as anxiety, agitation, and depression, while boosting calm, self-confidence, and stimulating memory.
Yes. The ability to create and enjoy art tends to remain relatively intact in people with dementia, since impairments in memory, thinking, and communication are usually not a barrier to creating art, particularly at the moderate stage.
The study found that more than 80 percent of participants with early- to moderate-stage dementia were able to stay focused during 30–45 minute sessions, and most were reported to smile, laugh, and enjoy the activity.
Non-verbal skills tend to be less affected than verbal skills over the course of Alzheimer's disease, making art an effective way for people with dementia to continue expressing themselves.
Not as a replacement, but as a complement. Alzheimer's medications only offer limited benefits and don't stop disease progression, while art is a non-drug approach that's easy to incorporate into a dementia patient's daily life.