Senior with Dementia Comes to Live While Creating Art

It can be difficult for a loved one with dementia to express themselves due to the gradual decline of their mind and cognitive function. However, more evidence from research has shown that creative activities—such as creating art—can promote health and well-being in individuals with dementia. How does art therapy work? It encourages your loved one to express themselves in ways that are not only meaningful but can also affirm their self-worth and dignity. So, you may want to encourage your loved one to create art in any form, whether by painting or through drawing, or other creative activities that can serve as their outlet for thoughts and feelings.

Agitation, outbursts, anxiety, stress, and fear may be reduced when a senior with dementia creates art. A creative project could minimize isolation when it enables social engagement with caregivers, too, making it a good part of therapy. Art may breathe enthusiasm back into their lives even when they have become despondent. They can become social, active, and verbal again, as activities that promote creativity stimulate the brain. Even with dementia, a senior’s creativity and emotions will still be viable for an extended period. So, by stimulating those areas, you can still make connections with them, and they can connect with you as well, even when their memory and logic have declined.

Seniors with dementia may have difficulty with short-term memory but their long-term memory is usually still intact. Art therapy can help them reminisce and validate their memories and enable them to develop ways to express themselves through a creative outlet. Art is not just a past time or something they can do for recreation—it is a means to reach inside themselves. They can use it to express feelings and thoughts when verbal communication is impossible. This is important as language is one of the factors that are affected as dementia progresses, making it difficult for seniors to say what they want or express themselves properly.