ARTS IMPROVING THE AGING PROCESS


Montessori approach. That means you work at your own speed, you do whatever you feel, there is no right way or wrong way to do it. It’s art, it’s all subjective. I may use my left hand, even though I am right-handed, just to show that I am not doing it perfectly either. Anything I can do to encourage them!” At AFTA, Tursini notes that art may have


many different forms – music, visual arts, poetry, dance, and so on. “Some art forms are more accessible than


others. Words may be less intimidating than paints, so you could start with a poem. Ev- eryone in the circle reads a line from the poem, or you read it multiple times so you hear it read in different ways with different emphasis. Then you use that as a way to explore,” she said. Tursinin points to a favorite, the William Carlos Williams poem, “This Is Just to Say.”


“You don’t have to stick to exactly what the poem means or is supposed to mean,” she said. “The words are just a spark for starting a conversation. When you hear the word ‘icebox,’ which is an older word that people don’t use so much anymore, what does that make you think of ? How does that word make you feel?” When approaching visual arts, keep it


simple. No need to delve into methodolo- gies or the history of a certain school of painters. “You look at an image. What is going on? What colors do you see? Are there clouds in the sky? When do you think this painting might have been painted? That simple act of looking and putting words to an image is accessible to anyone,” she said. If you’re asking seniors to draw or paint,


" This is just to say"


I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox


and which


you were probably saving


for breakfast Forgive me


they were delicious so sweet and so cold


William Carlos Williams


focus less on the image and more on the act of creation. “There is movement and gesture inherent in any drawing. So you ask them: Can you make the movement that you see this wave making as it crashes on the shore? That multi-sensory approach can be very useful as a means to get peo- ple engaged. Can you make a motion that reminds you of being at the beach, or a motion you would make at the beach?” she said. “That’s another direction that you can go, to turn ‘looking’ into movement.” If you’re looking to engage a profession-


al artist to take the helm on this effort, it certainly makes sense to evaluate their art, but more important is the effort to evaluate their character. In a sense this is just like any other hire you might make: Does this person fit in here? “You show them the community and


introduce them to the residents. Do they engage or are they passive? Are the excited or are they put off? It’s like any other job in- terview in senior living - you want someone who is truly engaged and engaging,” said Friedman at Lifetime Arts. Enthusiasm may be the most important


litmus test. “Is this somebody who is just looking for another gig or is this somebody who really wants to do this work?” Friedman said. “They are not being hired just to keep people busy for an hour and a half. They are here to develop folks’ creative capacity. They are going to find people at different levels, and their job is to meet them at whatever lev- el they are at and to help to move them up.”


42 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019


GETTING STARTED


Thinking of revving up an arts program among older adults? The Alzheimer’s Association offers these tips to help establish a program that will be effective even after dementia has progressed.


Music – Even in the late stages of Alzheimer’s disease, a person may be able to tap a beat, hum a tune, or sing a childhood song.


• Identify music that’s familiar and enjoyable to the person.


• Choose a source of music that isn’t interrupted by commercials.


• Use music to create the mood you want, whether tranquil or upbeat.


• Encourage movement such as clapping or even dancing.


Art – Creative projects can drive a sense of accomplishment and purpose, as well as giving an opportunity for self-expression.


• Keep the project on an adult level; avoid anything demeaning or childlike.


• Use conversation: Provide encouragement, discuss what the person is creating or reminiscence.


• Help the person begin, if necessary, perhaps by starting the brush movement in painting, for example.


• Allow plenty of time; it isn’t necessary to finish in one sitting.


Where does all this get you? Molson sums


it up with the story of a resident who attend- ed one of her music programs. “There was a resident who was in a


wheelchair — she’d come to programs ev- ery once in a while,” she said. “When she was in the program and the musician played the violin, she was almost dancing in her chair with a smile of pure enjoyment. I had never seen that from her before!” Moments like that can make all the effort


worth it.


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