May 2007 Vol. 26. No. 5

Published by the Humboldt Senior Resource Center in Eureka, California. HSRC is a non-profit community-based organization offering services for senior citizens, multi-generational families and caregivers.

Art Therapy Color and patience tease creativity from participants
End of life compassion: Shall we have a choice about ending our lives?
May is Older Americans Month
Try out: STAR auditions set May 6,7
Pay attention to your medications
Tribute to Sister Ann McGuinn, CSJ
Redwood Community Action Agency provides low-cost rehab loans

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Betty Elleman and Program Aide Alexis Edeline explore color and art.

"But I don't know how. What do I draw?" was a concern shared by many of the clients in a watercolor art group at Eureka Adult Day Health Services.

A few short weeks ago I, too, shared this concern. As a Humboldt State University social work student volunteer, I was asked if I would like to help re-start a watercolor art group.

"Ha!" I thought to myself. My experience and talent (or lack thereof) with art is summed up in my middle school years with the completion of art and craft projects where you string green macaroni noodles on yarn, or perhaps glue them to a piece of cardboard. How could I possibly facilitate an art group, let alone try and spark creativity or aid in the self-expression of those in my art group when I myself am not an artist?

What I have come to learn is that my skill as an artist has nothing to do with facilitating an effective art program. The arts allow people with dementia to express themselves and how they view their world.

"There is no right way to watercolor," I now respond to clients who are hesitant about their abilities as an artist. I help them put paint on their brushes and guide their hands to the paper. Carefully and with great consideration, clients stroke large blotches of color across their papers. Each piece of artwork is different from the next, as clients add their own artistic voice to the paper. I watch as slowly their blank papers are transformed into masterpieces of self-expression.

The watercolor art group at Adult Day Health is based on a creative art expressions program called Memories in the Making for people with Alzheimer's and related disorders. It is a program of the Alzheimer's Association of Orange County based on the idea that artists with dementia have more memory than originally believed. This memory, while it can't be intentionally accessed, can be the basis for the thoughts and emotions expressed through art. Creating art can evoke a renewed sense of self-confidence and a willingness and ability to share personal experience with others.

There are no rules in an art group, and it is a safe space for clients to explore their own creativity. I find that some clients are in need of more assistance to help them begin. I'll dip their brush in some paint, place it in their hand, guide it to the paper and encourage them. Occasionally, clients will stop painting while still in the middle of creating a piece, not because they are tired or bored, but just needing some encouragement. Helping them to change their paintbrush color will do the trick. It is important also to recognize when someone is not interested in painting. Watecoloring takes the desire to express oneself creatively and cannot be forced. If clients don't seem excited by watercolor-ing, we set the brushes aside and come back later when they feel more inspired.

My role lies in providing the opportunity for clients to portray their thoughts and feelings on paper and to appreciate the beautiful works of self-expression that they create. This class enables people with dementia to express themselves when more traditional forms of expression such as written and verbal communication are failing them. This way, the arts become a pathway for people with dementia to communicate with those around them. While watercoloring is in no way a cure for dementia, it does provide a means of communication to people who struggle to have a voice.

Elizabeth Behrens is an undergrad social work student at Humboldt State University. Originally from San Jose, Elizabeth came up north to pursue an education in working with older adults. As a volunteer at Eureka Adult Day Health Services, Elizabeth specializes in working with clients who have dementia.