From the Forget Memory website:
Memory loss can be one of the most terrifying aspects of a diagnosis of dementia. Yet the fear and dread of losing our memory make the experience of the disease worse than it needs to be, according to cultural critic and playwright Anne Davis Basting. She says, Forget memory. Basting emphasizes the importance of activities that focus on the present to improve the lives of persons with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
ArtCare is a unique program that brings community artists, students and volunteers into Luther Manor Adult Day Care Center for art residencies with the Adult Day Care participants. ArtCare also provides trainings of how to work with persons with Alzheimer’s and provides general information on the nature of Alzheimer’s disease.
In this blog post, Rosenberg talks in-depth about the Meet Me at MoMA program, an interactive gallery tour for people with dementia and their care partners, part of their Access Programs. The ninety-minute sessions allow MoMA’s educators to lead the individuals in the group in sharing their thoughts and interpretations of artworks from MoMA’s collection or special exhibitions.
From Anne’s website:
“A MacArthur Genius Grant recipient pioneers a radical change in how we interact with older loved ones, especially those experiencing dementia, as she introduces a proven method that uses the creative arts to bring light and joy to the lives of elders.”
Abstract: “There is currently a lack of published research on the effectiveness of a creative expression (CE) program known as TimeSlips (TS), which has the goal of improving quality of life and social connectedness for individuals in the mid to late stages of dementia. This study focused on measuring the impact of TS on the frequency and type of communicative exchanges and the relationship to social connectedness. A quasi-experimental design was conducted in a single long-term care facility with seven participants in the mid to late stages of dementia. A time-series analysis was used to assess change in communicative output and interactions. Positive communication changes in addition to maintained or improved quality of life were observed. Implementing a creative expression program such as TS for those in the middle to late stages of dementia improves social connectedness and communicative interactions.
Anne Basting is the founder and director of Timeslips at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts. She is a playwright, artist and author of/contributor to many articles and three books, as well as an internationally recognized speaker on arts and aging.