A good idea is to have the person create crafts, since they exercise the brain as well as fine motor skills, and add a therapeutic element on that, drawing from art therapy and occupational therapy theory and techniques. In this manner the therapy will be personalized, thus will have a greater impact on the person.
But even that is not an easy thing to do, especially in the latest stages of the disorder, where the space left for a therapeutic outcome/change is quite small. In these instances, therapy could address issues basic to the person, such as the self and the significant others.
With these in mind, and in the sphere of cognitive reenforcement and creative work, a patient with Alzheimer's was asked to create a craft with her own name. First she was asked to say and write down her name, then to spell it. Afterwards, she was provided with a variety of different letters (made by wood) and she had to pick the ones forming her name. When the 'materials' were ready, the craft began:
- each letter was painted in a different colour
- then each was glued on a wooden craft- stick
- finally a ribbon was glued on the back of the stick, so as to allow for hanging the decoration
- Materials:
- wooden letters
- fingerpaint (and a medium brush)
- wooden craft- sticks
- a satin ribbon
- wet glue
- the starting letter of the names was picked and painted
- then four wooden craft- sticks were glued together (this required some help)
- the letter was glued on the stick
- plastic decorative items were used to decorate further
- silver decorative items were passed through a string, which was tied in a knob around the sticks
- Materials:
- wooden letter
- fingerpaint (and a medium brush)
- wooden craft- sticks
- plastic leaves, craft coal, decoration for jewelry, plastic flexible craft material
- a thick string
- wet glue
After finishing with the names of the children, we proceeded to the names of close friends/ people she interacts with in a daily basis and cares for them. After discussing what is her relation to them (since she often cannot seperate friends from family members), and the importance of friendship, we moved on to the craft:
- a letter was drawn on a thick paper and its shape was cut all around (required a lot of help)
- then thin paper of different colours was cut in small pieces
- each piece was pressed together on the one side, giving the paper a cone shape
- the bottom part of the cone (where the paper was folded closely) was glued on the cut letter- glue the pieces without leaving gaps, in a manner that leaves the top (open) part of the cone showing.
- finally glue the (decorated) letter on a small canvas
- Materials:
- thick paper
- thin papers of different colours
- glue (any type will do just fine).
- a small canvas
Literature: J. Creek, L. Lougher, 2008. Occupational Therapy and Mental Health, Athens, ΒΗΤΑ medical arts; Ν. Tsergas, 2014. Therapeutic Approaches Through Art, Αthens, Topos; Katsari, Margioti, Nika, Sakka, 2011. Activities for Individuals who Suffer from Alzheimer's Disease, Athens, Grigoris Publications; Barnard, P., J., Handelsman, G., Ramponi C., 2010. The Memory Enhancement Effect of Emotion is Absent in Conceptual Implicit Memory. APA, 10 (2); Addis, D., R., Prebble, S., C., Tippett, L., J., 2013. Autobiographical Memory and Sense of Self. APA, 139, (4).
Note: The current activity was conducted in an individual level in the sphere of creative work and cognitive reinforcement in a specific elderly care unit in Athens.
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