Documentary by NHK (Japanese Public Broadcasting) that looks at the use of art as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.

Check out this creative writing project designed by writer-in-residence Anthea McKinlay for the Glasgow City Council. It was created to allow people with demenita, living in Glasgow City Council residential care homes, to have their stories and words be seen and heard.
So far 22 books featuring 167 authors have been created through this project. Each of the different residential homes created their own book written by their residents. When the book was finished, a copy was given to each of the authors.
You can read some of the poems and prose here.

The Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) is selling a 2007 50-cent Sterling Silver Golden Forget-Me-Not collector coin in recognition of those touched with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Working in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada, the RCM will donate $1 from every coin sold to the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada to help support the Society’s Research Program.
The coin is selling for $38.95 Canadian and can be purchased here.

A two minute slideshow of people living in an Alzheimer’s facility in Orange County. This project by Mary Amor was done for the 2005 OCC Social Issues Documentary Photography Scholarship.

Art Therapy is a way of letting people express themselves. Using paint, pen, charcoal, and other mediums, they are able to unleash hidden memories. No one knows for sure how art therapy works, but somehow the simple act of painting or drawing brings out memories in people suffering from brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s Disease. It also seems to slow down the heart rate and breathing and decrease blood pressure. So it’s not surprising that the Alzheimer’s Association promotes ‘ Memories in the Making Arts Program’. This program originated in Orange County, California in 1988 and has been adopted by …read more

                       Alzheimer’s patients often enjoy listening to music or having it in the background.  What about playing some Valentine’s Day or “hearts and flowers” songs?
Often, when I visited Mother in the nursing home, there was music playing…sometimes it was related to a current holiday.  It might be “oldies” from the residents’ childhood or young adult years.
I found that Mother, who’d often sung as she did her house and farm work, liked to hum along with these tunes.  I might think she wasn’t aware of this music in her room or the activity room.  Then suddenly she’d tap her fingers in …read more