Using Art to Help Alzheimer’s Patients

From KATU, a great story about the power of art to heal. 

“ Once a week, an office in NW Portland is a place of peace, concentration, and joy.

As paintbrushes touch paper, there’s radiance. It’s a contrast to a dim reality.

“I’ve seen some artists really decline and go from being very content and creatively expressive to getting to a point of just frustration and it breaks my heart because I know it’s the disease. It’s not them. It’s not who they are,” Marie Konzo said.”

Memories in the Making uses painting and other forms of fine art, but research shows that almost any sort of creative outlet can be beneficial to people suffering from dementia. Creating art not only allows one to exercise some lesser-used portions of their brain, but it’s also an activity that inherently builds community. Art is something everyone can create in a group, and for persons suffering from dementia – a terribly lonely and isolating condition – a little more community is always a welcome thing.