Collage as a Therapeutic Modality for Reminiscence in Patients With Dementia

Abstract

Traditional therapy, with its emphasis on verbal communication between therapist and client, may not be appropriate for patients with dementia due to impaired cognitive and verbal abilities. This brief report presents a qualitative study on the use of collage in art therapy to aid in the process of reminiscence in individuals with dementia. Data were collected and analyzed using a modified Magazine Photo Collage assessment (Landgarten, 1993) with three participants. Findings support the hypothesis that collage allows older adults with dementia an opportunity to convey information that they might not be fully capable of verbalizing. Participants' interactions with collage as a therapeutic modality also were examined, as well as their interactions with the art therapist researcher.