yesterday i volunteered with the oregon chapter of the alzheimer’s association. i recently decided i needed to be giving more of myself, especially during this time in my life when time is quite literally on my side.
i helped with a program called ‘memories in the making‘ where people who have alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers can participate in a ’watercolor group facilitated by professional artists. its goals are to have fun and to enhance communication through art expression.’
the artist had set the room up beautifully and the theme of the day involved flowers. some participants jumped right in, while others took a while to get comfortable and used to the idea of painting something.
there was one woman who appeared uneasy and uncomfortable so i prompted her with the idea to perhaps paint the sun. i asked if the sun was still out when she came inside, since we were tucked back in a windowless room. she couldn’t remember. i asked if she had a favorite color, she couldn’t remember. i needed to be more conscious and intentional with what i asked and didn’t ask. the artist came over and showed us this unique technique with watercolors where you first wet the paper with water and then load the paintbrush with color so it sprawls out in lots of unique shapes and directions. much like the coffee filter tie dye.
the woman finally decided to give this technique a try and after a few different colors streaking across the paper, it seemed as though she was transformed into another person. she was smiling, laughing and even cracking jokes. she revealed that she had taken art classes during her childhood and remembered a favorite sweater the same color as the fuchsia. during the midst of this transformation, her caregiver/daughter leaned over and gave her mother an extra long hug. her mother just giggled and said “what are you doing?” and her daughter’s simple reply was “it’s just great to see you, mom.” i felt so privileged to witness this moment and so very thankful for my health and the health of those i love.
here are some quick facts about the disease from www.alz.org:
- 5.4 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease.
- One in eight older Americans has Alzheimer’s disease.
- Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States and the only cause of death among the top 10 in the United States that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed.
also take a look at this short video with some facts about alzheimer’s disease
life lesson for me: remember to appreciate the memories we do have and a reminder to ask my own grandparents more about our family history.
what are some of your favorite memories with your grandparents?
one of my favorite memories was spending a few weeks during the summer on lake panorama, iowa in my grandparent’s a-frame cabin. i remember my nana’s great meals which were often followed by her famous buster bar parfait dessert and papa taking me fishing and doing puzzles together.
April 30, 2012 - 1:53 pm
This looks like such a fun, rewarding experience!! Do you plan on making this a regular event?
April 30, 2012 - 2:04 pm
thanks for your comment kristen! yes, there are 4 more weekly sessions that i plan on volunteering for and then seeing what other neat things i can become involved with.
April 30, 2012 - 2:20 pm
I love that! I need to find something like this to do with my time. I imagine you would be such a great impact on their lives. Interesting facts about Alzheimer’s, too.
May 6, 2012 - 1:25 pm
Working with this population can be so rewarding and so challenging…one of the odd things I learned while working as a guardian with dementia clients was that many of them, especially the men, seemed to enjoy me reading the Bible to them, three of my older gents loved it when we read REVELATION, not sure what that meant but I think I read that one book of the Bible more than any other, except for Psalms. Guess it connects them to older memories and helps them focus on positive (I hope) experiences.
May 7, 2012 - 10:08 am
that’s so interesting about some of the men enjoying that particular book in the bible. and you are spot on with it being both challenging and rewarding. i am sure you helped to brighten their day and focus on those positive experiences and memories!