Art & Seniors
As an art educator working with seniors it is important to understand the challenges that you will face. It is not the final product that matters, but rather the time they spend in the art making process that does. Working with seniors requires a lot of patience and good organization when planning lessons, especially when dealing with seniors who suffer from memory or mobility loss.
When working with seniors there are many things to consider regarding the delivery of a successful art lesson. Firstly, the educator should take into consideration the limited mobility of the participants, as many seniors in nursing homes use walkers or wheelchairs. An educator does not want to over exert the limited energy of the participants during the activity, thus it is important to structure a lesson plan that does not involve moving around the room. The art activity should be done sitting down, with materials that are easy to handle and do not require much physical strength.
As for the materials, the educator should avoid using clay for seniors. I have tried teaching one lesson involving clay, and the participants barely even touched the clay and if they did they used it as a kind of collage to place on their paper rather than to create a three dimensional art work. Clay is too difficult and for them to manipulate as their hands are not strong enough.
From my observations I noticed that all of my participants enjoyed working with paints. They prefer working with two-dimensional surfaces. The participants also preferred working with stencils with images already drawn on them. They enjoy coloring in these images rather than creating their own. However during my stage the stencils were provided to aid the participants in developing their own individual work. I would also recommend dividing the class into little groups rather than have all the participants all sit at the same table. This helps them to socialize with each other and to foster a friendly environment where each participant can feel safe and welcome.
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My Teaching Experience at St. Margaret’s Day Center
By Sinthia Cousineau
By Sinthia Cousineau
The past yearI have spent as an art educator at St. Margaret’s day center has been very beneficial for it provided me with further experience in the field of art education as well as offering me a chance to experience what it is like to work with senior citizens. Furthermore I was working with individuals who suffer from cognitive loss associated with Alzheimer’s or dementia. This enhanced my interest in art therapy as well, which is a field I am greatly interested in pursuing in my future studies. Percoskie (2010) describes Alzheimer’s disease as a neurological condition of unknown origin which impairs the brain’s functioning affecting areas such as thinking, reasoning, making judgements, orientation and memory. These characteristics are similar to dementia and mainly affect a person’s social and occupational functioning (Percoskie, 2010). Riggs (2001) states that this is a major concern because the disease will affect 14 million people in the United States by the middle of the century.
When working with seniors there are many things to consider regarding the delivery of a successful art lesson. Firstly, the educator should take into consideration the limited mobility of the participants, as many seniors in nursing homes use walkers or wheelchairs. An educator does not want to over exert the limited energy of the participants during the activity, thus it is important to structure a lesson plan that does not involve moving around the room. The art activity should be done sitting down, with materials that are easy to handle and do not require much physical strength. As for the materials, the educator should avoid using clay for seniors. I have tried teaching one lesson involving clay, and the participants barely even touched the clay and if they did they used it as a kind of collage to place on their paper rather than to create a three dimensional art work. Clay is too difficult and for them to manipulate as their hands are not strong enough. From my observations I noticed that all of my participants enjoyed working with paints. They prefer working with two-dimensional surfaces. The participants also preferred working with stencils with images already drawn on them. They enjoy coloring in these images rather than creating their own. However during my stage the stencils were provided to aid the participants in developing their own individual work. I would also recommend dividing the class into little groups rather than have all the participants all sit at the same table. This helps them to socialize with each other and to foster a friendly environment where each participant can feel safe and welcome.
Safar (2011) also suggests that when working with patients affected by memory loss it is important to try to understand how certain brain areas can be affected by the illness, to help gain a greater comprehensions of the patient’s limitations and capacities (Safar, 2011). Seifert (2008) suggests that when designing a lesson activity for patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer, one should avoid creating a lesson that involves a lot of short term memory skills, because these patients may find it extremely difficult to explicitly recall facts. Seifert suggests activities that work on semantic memory which is described as the memory of meanings, concepts, and understandings. She suggests that engaging patients to work with stickers is a good method of working this type of memory (Seifert, 2008).
Safar (2011) states that degenerative brain illnesses such as Alzheimer’s will affect the process of creation depending on where the brain lesions are located. Thus patients with the disease have been observed to produce artworks that become gradually more simplistic, for visuospatial, motivational, mnemonic and organizational skills are gradually affected with the process of time. Hence, when working with patients who suffer from Alzheimer’s or dementia focus should be placed on the art making rather than the final product. Mainly the point of the art making activity is to allow these patients to engage in positive relationships with each other, to increase their motivation and self-expression (Safar, 2011). Thus one key objective of this particular field study was to create a lesson that the participants would enjoy, and that would allow them to socialize with each other but also trying to challenge myself to incorporate some educational element to the lesson that would work the semantic memory of the participants.
Seifert (2008) also wrote another article about customized art activities for Alzheimer patients, which states the many benefits artistic activities could have on patients. Some such benefits include providing the patients with social interactions and allowing them to access their memory in a longitudinal way rather than focusing on short term memory. Regarding the social element of the lesson I observed that participants would interact with each other more when they were placed in small groups, more so then when they were all sitting around one big table.
The main challenges of working with this particular population was to keep in consideration the limited mobility of the participants, and to create lessons that would allow the participants to remain seated the entire lesson. Keeping the participants interested in the activity has also proven to be a challenge for some of the participants would get easily distracted or try to leave the room before the session was over. The main concern when conducting my lesson was to keep the motivation short but to provide the participants with the necessary motivation and instruction required to successfully perform the activity.
For my individual lesson I decided to teach my participants about analogous colors which I described to them as colors that are similar to each other. The lesson was also meant to teach the participants about drawing from observation. I divided the class into three separate tables; each one had different objects placed at the center. Participants were asked to observe and draw the still lives I placed for them onto a small canvas. I provided each participant with a drawing pen so that they could draw the basic shapes of the objects they saw in front of them. I showed them a prototype of the basic sketch of the still lives I had made earlier. Halfway through the lesson I provided the participants with a palette containing three separate colors that were analogous to each other. The participants had a choice of which palette they wanted to use. Once they had finished painting their still lives I placed each participant’s artwork on a table and they would observe each other’s works before leaving the session. During the session I played some classical music which kept the participants calm and focused on the activity. Overall the participants enjoyed the activity, and one of them also accomplished a very skilled drawing that impressed all the staff members. There are some things about the lesson that I could change. I used too many objects for the still lives, and next time I would place less objects on the table to make things simpler. Some of the participants were intimidated because there were too many objects on the table. Next time I would also provide more prototypes to show my participants for I had not shown the participants a finished prototype with the paint. One of the most successful aspects of my lesson was the seating arrangement, because by placing the participants in small groups it allowed them to be better focused on their art making while also socializing with their peers. However I would conclude that overall the lesson was a success.
During my time at St. Margaret’s day center I have learnt several things about myself as an art educator. Firstly working with seniors requires a lot of patience and understanding which I have displayed. When observing my own behaviour as an educator I was pleased to notice that I have a very inclusive style, which means that I take every participant into consideration and try not to exclude anyone. However, I do feel that I need to be clearer in my explanations and motivation. Another aspect I need to work on is to display a more authoritative presence. Since I am much younger than the participants I find it difficult to display authority, but I realize that without a certain amount of authority it would be difficult to engage the participants into the activity and maintain their focus. In summary I am very pleased with how I performed as an art educator so far in my stage.
In conclusion my time working with seniors who are suffering from memory degeneration has been very educational and has provided me with much insight to expectations of working in a community center. Although it has proven to be challenging to incorporate education aspects to the lessons it has so far proven to be successful.
When working with seniors there are many things to consider regarding the delivery of a successful art lesson. Firstly, the educator should take into consideration the limited mobility of the participants, as many seniors in nursing homes use walkers or wheelchairs. An educator does not want to over exert the limited energy of the participants during the activity, thus it is important to structure a lesson plan that does not involve moving around the room. The art activity should be done sitting down, with materials that are easy to handle and do not require much physical strength. As for the materials, the educator should avoid using clay for seniors. I have tried teaching one lesson involving clay, and the participants barely even touched the clay and if they did they used it as a kind of collage to place on their paper rather than to create a three dimensional art work. Clay is too difficult and for them to manipulate as their hands are not strong enough. From my observations I noticed that all of my participants enjoyed working with paints. They prefer working with two-dimensional surfaces. The participants also preferred working with stencils with images already drawn on them. They enjoy coloring in these images rather than creating their own. However during my stage the stencils were provided to aid the participants in developing their own individual work. I would also recommend dividing the class into little groups rather than have all the participants all sit at the same table. This helps them to socialize with each other and to foster a friendly environment where each participant can feel safe and welcome.
Safar (2011) also suggests that when working with patients affected by memory loss it is important to try to understand how certain brain areas can be affected by the illness, to help gain a greater comprehensions of the patient’s limitations and capacities (Safar, 2011). Seifert (2008) suggests that when designing a lesson activity for patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer, one should avoid creating a lesson that involves a lot of short term memory skills, because these patients may find it extremely difficult to explicitly recall facts. Seifert suggests activities that work on semantic memory which is described as the memory of meanings, concepts, and understandings. She suggests that engaging patients to work with stickers is a good method of working this type of memory (Seifert, 2008).
Safar (2011) states that degenerative brain illnesses such as Alzheimer’s will affect the process of creation depending on where the brain lesions are located. Thus patients with the disease have been observed to produce artworks that become gradually more simplistic, for visuospatial, motivational, mnemonic and organizational skills are gradually affected with the process of time. Hence, when working with patients who suffer from Alzheimer’s or dementia focus should be placed on the art making rather than the final product. Mainly the point of the art making activity is to allow these patients to engage in positive relationships with each other, to increase their motivation and self-expression (Safar, 2011). Thus one key objective of this particular field study was to create a lesson that the participants would enjoy, and that would allow them to socialize with each other but also trying to challenge myself to incorporate some educational element to the lesson that would work the semantic memory of the participants.
Seifert (2008) also wrote another article about customized art activities for Alzheimer patients, which states the many benefits artistic activities could have on patients. Some such benefits include providing the patients with social interactions and allowing them to access their memory in a longitudinal way rather than focusing on short term memory. Regarding the social element of the lesson I observed that participants would interact with each other more when they were placed in small groups, more so then when they were all sitting around one big table.
The main challenges of working with this particular population was to keep in consideration the limited mobility of the participants, and to create lessons that would allow the participants to remain seated the entire lesson. Keeping the participants interested in the activity has also proven to be a challenge for some of the participants would get easily distracted or try to leave the room before the session was over. The main concern when conducting my lesson was to keep the motivation short but to provide the participants with the necessary motivation and instruction required to successfully perform the activity.
For my individual lesson I decided to teach my participants about analogous colors which I described to them as colors that are similar to each other. The lesson was also meant to teach the participants about drawing from observation. I divided the class into three separate tables; each one had different objects placed at the center. Participants were asked to observe and draw the still lives I placed for them onto a small canvas. I provided each participant with a drawing pen so that they could draw the basic shapes of the objects they saw in front of them. I showed them a prototype of the basic sketch of the still lives I had made earlier. Halfway through the lesson I provided the participants with a palette containing three separate colors that were analogous to each other. The participants had a choice of which palette they wanted to use. Once they had finished painting their still lives I placed each participant’s artwork on a table and they would observe each other’s works before leaving the session. During the session I played some classical music which kept the participants calm and focused on the activity. Overall the participants enjoyed the activity, and one of them also accomplished a very skilled drawing that impressed all the staff members. There are some things about the lesson that I could change. I used too many objects for the still lives, and next time I would place less objects on the table to make things simpler. Some of the participants were intimidated because there were too many objects on the table. Next time I would also provide more prototypes to show my participants for I had not shown the participants a finished prototype with the paint. One of the most successful aspects of my lesson was the seating arrangement, because by placing the participants in small groups it allowed them to be better focused on their art making while also socializing with their peers. However I would conclude that overall the lesson was a success.
During my time at St. Margaret’s day center I have learnt several things about myself as an art educator. Firstly working with seniors requires a lot of patience and understanding which I have displayed. When observing my own behaviour as an educator I was pleased to notice that I have a very inclusive style, which means that I take every participant into consideration and try not to exclude anyone. However, I do feel that I need to be clearer in my explanations and motivation. Another aspect I need to work on is to display a more authoritative presence. Since I am much younger than the participants I find it difficult to display authority, but I realize that without a certain amount of authority it would be difficult to engage the participants into the activity and maintain their focus. In summary I am very pleased with how I performed as an art educator so far in my stage.
In conclusion my time working with seniors who are suffering from memory degeneration has been very educational and has provided me with much insight to expectations of working in a community center. Although it has proven to be challenging to incorporate education aspects to the lessons it has so far proven to be successful.
My Teaching Experience & Examples of Art Lessons
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You are never too old to make art!
Pictures
"My experience working with Seniors"
References
Burenm B, Bromberger, B., Miller, B., Potts, D., & Chatterjee, A. (2013). Changes in painting styles of two artists with Alzheimer’s disease. Psychology of Aesthetics, creativity and the arts, 7(1), 89-94.
Musha, T., Kimura, S., Kaneko, K., Nishida, K. & Sekine, K. (2000). Emotion spectrum analysis method (ESAM) for monitoring the effects of art therapy applied on demented patients. CyberPsychology & Behaviour, 3(3), 441-446.
Percoskie, S. (2010). Art therapy with the Alzheimer’s Client. The humanistic psychologist, 25 (2), 208-211.
Riggs, J. (2001). The health and long-term care policy challenges of Alzheimer’s disease. Aging & mental health, 5 (S1), 138-145.
Rosenberg, F. (2009). The MoMA Alzheimer’s project: programming and resources for making art accessible to people with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers. Art & Health: An …….international journal for research, policy and practice, 1 (1), 93-97.
Safar, L. & Press, D. (2011). Art and the brain: Effects of dementia on the art production in art therapy. Art therapy: journal of the American art therapy association, 28 (3), 96-103.
Seifert, L. (2008). Customized art activities for individuals with Alzheimer-Type Dementia. Activities, adaptation, & aging, 24(4), 65-74.
Seifert, L. & Baker, M. (2008). Procedural skills and art production among individuals with Alzheimer’s-Type dementia. Clinical Gerontologist, 21 (1), 3-14.
Musha, T., Kimura, S., Kaneko, K., Nishida, K. & Sekine, K. (2000). Emotion spectrum analysis method (ESAM) for monitoring the effects of art therapy applied on demented patients. CyberPsychology & Behaviour, 3(3), 441-446.
Percoskie, S. (2010). Art therapy with the Alzheimer’s Client. The humanistic psychologist, 25 (2), 208-211.
Riggs, J. (2001). The health and long-term care policy challenges of Alzheimer’s disease. Aging & mental health, 5 (S1), 138-145.
Rosenberg, F. (2009). The MoMA Alzheimer’s project: programming and resources for making art accessible to people with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers. Art & Health: An …….international journal for research, policy and practice, 1 (1), 93-97.
Safar, L. & Press, D. (2011). Art and the brain: Effects of dementia on the art production in art therapy. Art therapy: journal of the American art therapy association, 28 (3), 96-103.
Seifert, L. (2008). Customized art activities for individuals with Alzheimer-Type Dementia. Activities, adaptation, & aging, 24(4), 65-74.
Seifert, L. & Baker, M. (2008). Procedural skills and art production among individuals with Alzheimer’s-Type dementia. Clinical Gerontologist, 21 (1), 3-14.