Art Therapy with Geriatric Dementia Clients

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to describe how art therapy can be used with an elderly population experiencing cognitive impairments that range from benign, “mild” confusion to a devastating, progressive dementia such as Alzheimer's disease. The evocative nature of art allows older adults with dementia to become expressive and bypass some of their cognitive deficits. The versatility of artmaking also assists elderly individuals in supporting the level of their cognitive status, and gives the art therapist a flexible method of releasing obscured thinking and feeling processes.