Saturday, October 11, 2014

Hanneman Article-Creativity in Dementia Patients

The Hanneman article on Creativity in Dementia Patients was really interesting.  I liked how he points out the need for alzheimer's patients to have the creative space to express themselves since they have lost their sense of reality.  It also makes sense in that older patients are recognizing that they may not be able to physically do what they used to.  As a result, many older patients enjoy telling stories of what they did when they were younger in order to "re-live" the experience and connect with a reality outside of the current one.  Instead of just talking, it seems that art and a variety of creative expressions will give them the freedom to tell their story in different ways. It also give them a sense of control and calm over how they are feeling in the present moment about getting older. Talking is only one modality for them to do this. Painting, drawing, writing, singing, using movement.  These can all be different ways for them to tell their story and feel like they are re-living it as well.

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