Winding Down Summer Already

Wow!  Can't believe it is August 1st already!  This summer has just rushed by.  I am already planning Fall projects for my classes and thoughts of Christmas projects can't be far away.

This past month  I became obsessed with collage and multimedia projects.  We put together some fun collages working with watercolor, tissue paper and scrap booking paper with some great results.

This is my class at Silverado Senior Living in Plano:

Lorraine was very pleased with her watercolor collage!

Miss Helen is always a fast worker with fun ideas!

Miss Ruth always enjoys participating and had extra special help today!

Miss Ruth and her "art assistant"

 At Chambrel  at Club Hill we experimented with eggshell mosaics with some very interesting results.  We did some watercolor crosses then embellished with acrylic painted egg shell to create a "stained glass" looking mosaic.  I also started an eggshell mosaic butterfly and think this would be a really pretty project as well.

Our Eggshell Cross Mosaics:

Our new class member practicing meticulous brush strokes.

These eggshell mosaics take real concentration!

Who knew you could be so creative with eggshells?

Evelyn is a fast study with the eggshell mosaics!

July is Zooming By!

I can't believe it is already the middle of July!  With the July 4th holiday this month seems to have started with a "bang" (pardon the pun).  This post will be a quick one, but I would like to share a few of the fun projects we have done this past month.  In honor of the 4th of July we put together patriotic wreaths and painted red white and blue birdhouses.

We have also been trying some fun polymer clay projects this month- starting with a simple rose project and moving on to some fun red white and blue beads and pendants.  I think our first try on making necklaces turned out pretty great!

Evelyn with her new patriotic necklace

 

 

Another success!

Lots of discussion during the creating stage!

A girl can never have too much jewelry!

Every bead is handmade and unique!

Looks good!

Happy with her final result!

The polymer clay beads take several sessions to make.  We actually worked on this project in 3 different classes.  2 classes were spent making beads and we finished the cured beads and strung the beads in our last class.  We learned a lot during our first try and are excited to try this again very soon!

Gotta run!  But will post again soon.  We have been doing some great collages this past week using mixed media and am planning to do an eggshell cross mosaic today.  Will try to get some additional photos posted of these projects soon.

Until next time-  Have fun and Stay 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

Spring Fabric Topiaries and Fabric Tied Wreaths and Much More!

April was such a busy month  I  did not have a chance to share most of the projects we did to celebrate the beginning of Spring and the Easter holiday with you until I finally have had a chance to catch my breath.

One of my very favorite projects is the fabric topiary- and for Spring we put a new, colorful twist on an old favorite. These are some of my ladies creating their topiaries at Park Place in Plano Texas.

 

One of my favorite things about creating the fabric topiaries is that even though we all start out with the exact same choice of fabric, paint colors and accessories- every topiary is unique and really shows the personality of each class member!

Another fun project we worked on in March and April was hand tied fabric wreaths.  I offered a couple of different options- either wrapping the wreaths with fabric or tying the strips onto the wreath form.  Some ladies have arthritis in their hands and tying lots of knots is a little uncomfortable.  Here are a couple of examples of our Fabric wreaths for Spring:

Hand Tied Fabric Spring Wreath

Wrapped Fabric and Burlap Wreath with Hand Made Flowers


Here are some of our Fabric Wreath Creations from our class at Meadowstone Place:

Didn't everyone do a great job with their festive Spring wreaths?  They are so unique and fun!

In addition to working on our Spring Topiaries and Wreaths, we also made Brown Paper Bag Bunny Topiaries to get into the spirit of Easter:

Paper Bag Bunny Topiary

And to round out our April projects we also made fun Paper Mache Egg Shakers for our Latin Rhythm and Movement classes and  Cork Birdie Plant Pokes and Clay Pot Wind Chimes for our container plants and gardens:

Paper Mache Egg Shakers

Cork Birdie Plant Poke

Clay Pot Wind Chime

In addition to all of these wonderful craft projects, we did a lot of gardening- including planting upside down tomatoes and seedlings and had a lot of fun learning about wines and boogied to the Latin Beat!

Will share more later!  I have a couple of fun Cinco De Mayo projects to share and more great  pics of our April classes!

Till Next time- Have a great Spring- and Stay Creative!

Stephane