Flourishing and expressing creativity is on a new level for people with dementia. Through the guidance of a trained therapist, the use of creative arts can alleviate the negative effects and even foster the quality of life of people with dementia.
Dementia affects 50 million worldwide and it is in a constant rise. The main characteristic of dementia is its effects on the brain that can lead to memory loss that would be detrimental to the capacity to do daily activities for an individual.
The experience of dementia is different among individuals who have it. It is here where creative arts can be beneficial.
WHAT ARE CREATIVE ART THERAPIES?
The main focus of creative arts is its engagement with the individual’s imagination.
· Art therapy can give an individual a sense of imagery and self-awareness. The use of colour in such therapy through paintings and clay arts can help people extend their world with colour.
· Drama therapy can be beneficial in developing social skills, problem-solving capacity and even improve one’s memory.
· Dance therapy can enhance non-verbal communication through body gestures and movements.
· Music therapy could allow anxious individuals to express their feelings such as joy and sadness.
WHAT CAN THESE THERAPIES DO?
Among the effects of these therapies, particularly playing music, is that it can increase social interaction, alleviating the risk of social withdrawal and even reduce depression.
Drama therapy could be beneficial for people with dementia because it can trigger the awakening of memories by reimagining the different personal issues they dealt with in the past. For example, one of the participants affirmed that he was capable of letting go of the memory of being emotionally abused by his teacher back in his younger years.
Drama therapy can also give a capability to address grief, cognitive and physical decline.
Art therapy’s results showed that large improvements in mood and cognition can be assured after the sessions are done.
An art therapy program in Western Australia motivates Indigenous Noongar elders to make dolls, share their birthing experience when there was a time that birthing happened in reserves or even in an open area because women were not allowed to give birth in hospitals back then.
Lastly, dance-movement therapy invigorates the senses as well as the body and the mind. It is important to consider that these therapies are beneficial for elder people who are more prone to dementia in reflecting about their life during their final stages.
CAN THIS SERVE AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO MEDICAL INTERVENTION?
Legislations regarding the possible use of therapies involving creative arts as an alternative to medications are considered in the aged care royal commission.
Extensive research is necessary involving a greater number of individuals to fully evaluate the benefits and its longevity for people with dementia. But considering such preliminaries in analysing the therapy could easily provide an avenue for carers to consider applying it.
