1. Painting and Cognition

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Individuals with dementia experience deteriorating cognitive abilities that hold them back from

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performing activities that define their individuality and hence reduce their quality of life. For

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people with dementia, participation in a meaningful occupation can promote quality of life (QoL),

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facilitate communication and emotional expression, and enhance personal relationships [1]. Cre-

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ating art can help people with dementia to express emotions, memories, and ideas that may

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be difficult to put into words. It can also provide a sense of accomplishment and purpose, and

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can help to alleviate boredom and social isolation. Although studies on art’s effects on the

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brain are limited, research suggests that artistic engagement may help to ease common behav-

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ioral symptoms of dementia like anxiety, agitation and depression[2][3]. Additionally, several

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testimonies illustrate that creative processes are used to evoke memories, enable people to com-

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municate about their experience [9], to reinforce identity , and to strengthen relationships with

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their own family members, as well as with care personnel and others involved in the intervention

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process[4]. However it is to note that people without formal art training can participate in art

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related activities after being diagnosed with dementia.

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Painting in specific have shown to be beneficial in terms of reducing stress, improving expres-

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siveness of an individual and helping them manage their emotions.The advantages are consid-

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erably larger for elders suffering from dementia. Brain stimulation might deteriorate over time

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if it is not consistently engaged. Painting demands concentration, which has significant benefits

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for elders suffering from dementia. Painting, in reality, activates multiple regions and lobes of

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the brain at the same time by activating both sides of the brain. Painting can help adults with

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dementia make relationships and foster hobbies that might pierce through the cloud of memory

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loss. However, this is based on the assumption that individuals with dementia are willing to and

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can produce art and don’t have disabilities that hinder this activity.

To aid patients of dementia using the help of art, the right level of intervention and skill of

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the facilitator is necessary. Professionally trained artist may be unfamiliar with persons with

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dementia, whereas an activity coordinator with dementia expertise may only have a rudimentary

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grasp of the art they are enabling. While there is advancement in assistive technology for leisure

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and cultural or arts-based activities, as of 2018, very few devices have been dedicated to these

pursuits as of yet

References

[1] Valerie Leuty et al. “Engaging Older Adults with Dementia in Creative Occupations Using

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Artificially Intelligent Assistive Technology”. In: Assistive technology : the official journal

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of RESNA 25 (Apr. 2013), pp. 72–9. doi: 10.1080/10400435.2012.715113.

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[2] Gill Livingston et al. “Non-pharmacological interventions for agitation in dementia: system-

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atic review of randomised controlled trials”. In: The British Journal of Psychiatry 205.6

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(2014), pp. 436–442.

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[3] Jennifer Rusted, Linda Sheppard, and Diane Waller. “A multi-centre randomized control

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group trial on the use of art therapy for older people with dementia”. In: Group Analysis

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39.4 (2006), pp. 517–536.

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[4] Justine Schneider. “The Arts as a Medium for Care and Self-Care in Dementia: Arguments

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and Evidence”. In: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 15.6

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(2018). issn: 1660-4601. doi: 10.3390/ijerph15061151. url: https:~/~/www.mdpi.com/

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1660-4601/15/6/1151.

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