Having Fun with Fresh Flowers

I love flowers!  I love growing them ( when it isn't a scorching 110 degrees), I love making them out of clay, paper and  paint, I love working with silk and dried flowers.  But I have to say- one of my absolute favorite past times is working with fresh flowers.

Recently we started a fresh flower arranging class at Horizon Bay in Plano.  I teach everything from Wine Appreciation classes to Arts and Crafts there- and this is our newest endeavor.  Yesterday we made homespun table centerpieces using quart size Mason jars.  They really worked out great!  We finished up just before dinner time- and they were a big hit with all the other residents.

I took the  circular lid out of the mason jar and cut a piece of chicken wire to fit just inside the top to create a floral frog.  It really helps to hold the flowers in place well.  Before we started working with the flowers we talked about some basic ideas of floral design, learned how to properly clean and prepare the flowers and how to care for the arrangements so they will stay fresh looking for several weeks.

Everyone really had a great time putting their unique spin on our project-  We made 21 arrangements in only 1 1/2 hours.  Here are a few pictures of our class:

Beverly hard at work!

Miss Flo working away-  i think she put together 4 or 5 all by herself!

Our group in action

One of our finished centerpieces

A cart full of flowers ready to go to the upstairs Memory Care dining area

The flowers really brighten up the dinner tables!

From the reactions we received from the other residents- I expect to have a lot more help in class next time!  Well- gotta dash!  Today we are finishing up our "Milk Carton Bird Feeders" at The Courtyard in Mesquite- and I have about 12 bird feeders to prep before class.

Till next time-  Stay Cool ( and I mean that literally) and Be Creative!

Stephane

Proven Benefits of Art Programs for Seniors Living in Retirement Communities

With a slow-to-rebound economy and tight Activities budgets, one of the biggest challenges for Activities Directors who work with Seniors in Memory Care or Assisted Living Residences is deciding how to allocate their limited monthly Activities budget.

Why should they choose an art program over other entertainment? What are the benefits of choosing to incorporate creative art activities rather than opting for passive entertainment- even though the group participating in the art class may be smaller than a group enjoying a musical entertainer?

At first glance an entertainer seems to get more "bang for the buck". But participation in art programs has been shown to have a very positive long-term effect for residents. One compelling reason to incorporate an ongoing art program for residents is that while Alzheimer's and dementia damage the portions of the brain that have to do with memory and planning complex tasks, the part of the brain that is involved in emotion and aesthetic appreciation remains intact for much longer. Patients with Alzheimer's have difficulty with attention and concentration, but experts say that art therapy has provided an extraordinary outlet for them.

Dr. Gene Cohen, director of the Center on Aging at George Washington University, has studied the effect of art on people with Alzheimer's and has said "Art is a wonderful activity that taps into imagination. Even with the loss of memory, the capacity for imagination still has its place. That is one reason there has been increasing attention to art for people with Alzheimer's. Even as memory fades the imagination has the capacity to be robust.''

Art therapist Ruth Abraham, author of When Words Have Lost Their Meaning: Alzheimer's Patients Communicate Through Art (Praeger Publishers, 2004), agrees: "Art therapy has been shown to be a powerful tool for people with Alzheimer's; it helps them to express their feelings when they can no longer do so with words. This use of art helps people with Alzheimer's disease feel less lonely and isolated. It can also calm their restlessness."

Some of the proven benefits of engaging in creative activities with older adults are:

• Provides a form of nonverbal communication and expression
• Gives the individual a sense of choice and control
• Helps to reduce stress, fear, and anxiety
• Enriches relationships and encourages socialization
• Activates the senses and inspires spontaneity
• Encourages playfulness and a sense of humor
• Restores and motivates muscle memory
• Improves cognition and focuses attention
• Evokes new opportunities for connecting with others
• Reduces boredom
• Leads to self-expression and self-discovery
• Improves emotional and physical health
• Nurtures a sense of Self and renewed self-esteem
• Promotes relaxation and decreases disruptive behavior

I have seen first-hand while teaching art and craft classes to Seniors living in Memory Care and Assisted Living that they really do express their personal style, likes and dislikes, and individuality in their art projects although when some have later stage Alzheimer's. Even though we start each project with a sample to copy, similar color choices and supplies when individuals are encouraged to create their project in their own way- every project turns out unique and different- just like the person that created it.

 

Since I am not an art therapist, I don't have particular goals set for each class member when we are doing a project- we just concentrate on having fun, expressing creativity and socializing with the group. Many times class members are afraid they will "get it wrong" but with assurance that "There is no wrong or right in art" so they can't do anything wrong they feel freer to express themselves as they want. Going into a project with that attitude usually helps students relax and just enjoy the process- and the results can be truly amazing!

Doing something creative each day- whether it is gardening, listening to music, painting, cooking or telling stories- is a wonderful way for individuals coping with the effects of Alzheimer's and dementia to connect to an important part of who they are- and who they have always been.

It's June Already!

Wow! May really flew by quickly- with Cinco de Mayo, Mother's Day and Memorial Day!  We had lots of opportunities to create colorful crafts for the Season.  One of our favorites- the kind of project that represented May Day, Cinco de Mayo and Mother's Day was our fun and festive paper flower wreaths.

Paper flowers are an inexpensive, yet fun project and it is easy for everyone to do.  The activity not only yields a great result- but it is also a great opportunity to exercise hand dexterity and hand eye coordination. Everyone really had a good time making the flowers and seeing just how wild a combination of colors they could come up with!

Here are some of our group's creations at Horizon Bay in Plano, TX:

Beverly at Horizon Bay with her fun creation!

 

Flo was happy with her Paper Flower Wreath!

 

Inez always does a great job and is so creative!

Pretty wreath for a pretty lady- Great job Renee' !

We had more fun at Chambrel at Club Hill in Garland- take a look at these:

 Every wreath and every flower as unique as the person who made it!

Some of our other May projects were patriotic bird houses- in honor of Memorial Day, Pointillism paintings, and lots of gardening projects before the Texas heat hits for the Summer months. 

This month will be a month of Red, White and Blue projects, Door Wreaths, Indoor Garden Projects and Polymer Clay beginning projects.  Getting ready for Summer and July 4th will be fun for everyone this month!

If you have any Red, White and Blue projects that would be appropriate for Seniors- please feel free to share with me!  I would love your feedback!

Until next time- Stay Creative and Have a Happy June!

Stephane

Dyed Rice Mosaic Projects

Finished Dyed Rice Mosaic

One of my class members- Kris Brown at Horizon Bay in Plano- recently suggested that we try to do dyed rice mosaics because her classes really had fun doing them.  Kris was an art teacher in her previous life, and is a great source of inspiration and ideas- as are many of my students.  I had never heard of doing mosaics with dyed rice- so I thought I would give it a try.  I did a quick search on the internet about how to go about dying rice and found a few different "recipes".  Since many times Activity Directors have limited budgets for art projects- I think this one would be a great one to try out.

The mosaics seem to be a two class project for everyone so far- so I would plan for this project to take 2-3 hours from beginning to end.

Dyed Rice Tutorial-

Supplies you will need to dye the rice:

Measuring Cup
Tablespoon
Rubbing Alchohol
Inexpensive White Rice
Food Coloring- I used fluorescent and regular dye
Plastic Locking Sandwich bags
Plate to dry rice on
Storage containers with tight lids

Dry the rice flat in plastic plates

The recipe is quite simple- one cup rice + 1 tablespoon rubbing alcohol + 4-8 drops food coloring per batch of rice.  You can create quite a few bright colors using a little color theory and trial and error- I even made a blackish brown for sunflower centers today.

Creating your mosaic-

• Download simple stained glass patterns from the internet with little detail like geometric shapes,  flowers, butterflies and birds.
• Cut out pattern and glue it to a black card stock backgroud to give the mosaic stability ( it becomes quite heavy)
  

Geometic Design Starting to come together

• Use thick glue to adhere rice like Tacky Glue.

 

• Work only a small section at a time, spreading glue to the edges of the section with a Q-tip.It works best to do all the sections of the mosaic with the same color before moving to the next color.   (Creates less "confetti"rice ) 

• Dump excess in a plastic plate so it can be reused
• Fill in any places where the rice is missing until completed

Several of my classes have been working with the dyed rice mosaics this month and have been having a fun time creating their masterpieces.  This is not only a good creative project, but it also helps with hand dexterity and hand/eye coordination.

Here are some of my ladies from Horizon Bay with their artwork:

Florence at Horizon Bay

Beverly's creation is really coming together!

Ethna seems pretty pleased!

Kris- who started it all!

Very Precise!

Another great job by Inez

Another group at Atria in Richardson:

Enjoying the creative process!

Making a pretty sunflower

Dorothy perfecting her work as her daughter looks on.

To finish out the project- I suggest cutting out the finished mosaic and re-matting onto a clean piece of black card stock because glue spills do show up on the card stock.  I actually cut my finished design out and put it in a floating frame.  This project takes patience and some of my students have gotten frustrated- but it is a fun project to try- and is a great project for elders to do with their grand children.  The rice is so colorful- it could be used in the same ways as sand art in bottles.

Right now I am working on an "easy" batik project.  I found it originally on That Artist Woman's blog as have many folks- and am doing a sample project right now.  The Batik project is definitely a 2-3 class project as it has several steps and requires drying time between steps.  Will post the results later this month.

Till Then-

Good luck with the new time change- and get ready for Spring projects!

Stephane

March 2011 Dirt Therapy Classes

Benefits of Dirt Therapy for Senior Citizens

We design Gardening programs for Seniors that meet the special needs of the specific Senior population we are working with.   The physical, mental and emotional benefits of gardening activities may be slightly different when working with Memory Care residents compared to very able Independent seniors.  But gardening is beneficial for Seniors of all ages and ability levels and is enjoyed by many Seniors.

We believe garden related activities and “enabled gardens” should be designed to be accessible to all.  For example, raised garden beds, raised boxes, wall gardens, hanging plants and small individual containers can all be used in accessible Garden Therapy programs.   We encourage Seniors with physical or cognitive limitations are to actively participate in planning and caring for the garden or their container plants so they feel a greater sense of accomplishment and ownership.  For Memory Care residents, keeping projects simple and providing hand over hand instruction is important when helping them complete tasks independently.

Our Dirt Therapy activities are unique in that they use living materials requiring nurturing and care.  The natural life cycle of plants provides participants with plenty of ongoing horticultural tasks and activities that stimulate thought and exercise and encourages an awareness of the seasons and the environment.  This is especially important for Memory Care participants.

Gardening with Seniors in retirement facilities and communities is a very gratifying activity for all involved.   A recent survey by the National Endowment for the Arts found that 63% of survey participants ages 65-74 and 53% of those ages 75-96 work with indoor plants or garden outdoors for pleasure.  Another survey by the Roper Organization indicated that 33% of people 60 years or older are likely to say that gardening is an avid hobby or interest.

Our Dirt Therapy classes help retirement housing providers and health care administrators provide Senior residents with fun activities that improve quality of life and provide sensory and visual stimulation, social involvement, and healthy exercise.  And as the Baby Boomer Generation ages, we believe the need for unique activities and  horticultural therapy programs will continue to grow.

We believe gardening should be about getting dirty without feeling guilty, enjoying the results of a job well done and taking the time to soak up the sun and serenity that being in nature offers all of us.  

Benefits of Garden Therapy include:

Improved Physical Functioning-   Garden activities provide moderate exercise and builds fine motor skills by planting seeds or transplanting seedlings.  Activities like digging and weeding improve gross motor skills. For those with limited mobility, even standing and working in raised beds provides an opportunity for good exercise.

Sensory Stimulation-   Aging often involves loss or reduction of sensory capabilities so it becomes important to stimulate the senses that remain.  Simple garden tasks improve hand-eye coordination and touching plants and smelling herbs and flowers can stimulate the senses and trigger happy memories from the past.

Improved Emotional Status-   Garden projects and activities help build each participant’s self esteem and confidence as they are encouraged to make decisions and think creatively when completing personal projects.  Working with plants fosters a sense of nurturing and purpose and these tasks and projects can often provide structure and activities that alleviate depression and alter negative feelings. 

Social Skills-  Garden programs provide an excellent opportunity for participants to interact with group leaders and other participants through sharing materials and creative ideas, assisting others with tasks, and sharing stories and memories of previous gardenling experiences with others.

Dirt Therapy classes at Silverado Senior Living in Plano, TX-

Silverado is a wonderful Memory Care Community that provides great care for their residents.  Recently we were able to get back to gardening thanks to a sunny early March day.

Planting late Winter veggies first week of March

Miss G hard at work!

Enjoying our afternoon in the sun!

We had a great day planting one of our raised container beds this past week.  Had a beautiful sunny 70 degree day in Dallas, and we enjoyed getting our Vitamin D the natural way!

Garden Club Class at Atria in Carrollton-

This is the second year for our Garden Club at Atria in Carrollton.  Atria is a great Assisted Living facility and they have a beautiful courtyard for the residents to enjoy.  We work in the flower beds and plant large containers and pots.  This past week we planted some early Spring annuals and a few bulbs to liven up the courtyard.  Some of the ladies were happy to soak up the sun and give moral support while others rolled up their sleeves and got some dirt under their fingernails!

Planting early Spring annuals

Hard at work and getting hugs!

Getting Vitamin D the natural way

Happy just to supervise our work!

We have a lot of garden classes schedule throughout the Spring so I'll share more of our progress as the growing season moves along.


Till next time-  Put your hands in the earth and get ready for Spring!

Stephane