class proposals

As a result of working with someone dealing with Alzheimer's I have decided to explore the possibility of designing an "Art Play" program for seniors  and people in the very early stages of Alzheimer's and various forms of dementia. My previous experience working in LVAA classes with seniors (as well as a large number of elementary and middle school faculty members in professional development workshops) taught me that there is some sort of emotional pleasure factor associated with the simple familiar childhood act of coloring with crayons. I assume the trigger for this is purely muscle memory. My observations regarding the time it takes to positively impact someone ranges from 3-8 minutes. Even the most reluctant participant begins to relax and then actually smile within a very few minutes. After that there is noticeably more chatter and animation in the room as people begin to recognize that what they are enjoying is actually play. The collective mood is elevated and remains so for as long as the exercise lasts.

This project is not to be considered as Art Therapy. I am not a certified Art therapist. I have no interest in striving for or achieving traditional therapeutic goals. My goal in designing creative art play is to reignite some aspect of the child who lives within each of us, no matter what our current chronological age. Participants must retain effective comprehension and verbal skills and must not present with behavior that is agitated or aggressive. Most elements of basic social cognition need to be in tact in order to participate in simple but necessary directions regarding the use of scissors and glue sticks for cut and paste projects, paint brushes for working with watercolor crayons, enough fine motor control to use a marker for outlining or pattern creation or writing simple words needed in the context of a project. The project is designed to reach minds that have begun to lose touch with select details and simple memory elements, not people whose former personalities have already evaporated into disease and regular confusion.

This should probably be run first as a pilot project consisting of 4-6 sessions, 75-90 minutes each either during mid-morning or after lunch. Class would be limited to 8 participants (with a minimum of 2 bringing an assistant or caregiver). Initially I would like participants to be recommended by gerontology specialists, residential caregiver staff who know proposed participants and family members whose loved ones are still able to function with some efficiency while living at home. However, I would be more than willing to run this identical program for seniors over age 60 and bypass the obvious medical aspects that will arise with the previously targeted group. program.

If the decision were made to continue (and possibly expand) the program funds would need to be raised for materials as well as administrative and teaching costs. Initially I am willing to donate materials I have available from prior teaching for use in this pilot program. My initial compensation would be figured at $120 per session, which would include setup and cleanup time with materials donated. I would want to collaborate with the hosting 501 C3 institution in having them initially determine reasonable costs, handle program promotion, registration and collect funds.