Memories in the Making: An Art Therapy Group for Individuals Diagnosed with Alzheimer\u27s Disease or a Related Form of Dementia

The purpose of this grant proposal is to request funding for the Greater Dallas Chapter of the Alzheimer\u27s Association to support Memories in the Making, an art therapy program for individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer\u27s. People with AD are faced with a number of symptoms ranging from severe cognitive decline to behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, all of which affect quality of life for the patients and their caregivers. Historically, Alzheimer\u27s has been treated primarily with pharmacological interventions; but recently clinicians are taking a closer look at a more comprehensive treatment approach for this population, including more non-pharmaceutical, psychosocial, environmental, and creative therapies. Memories in the Making is an art therapy program designed for individuals with Alzheimer\u27s disease that capitalizes on non verbal interventions for individuals with declining language and communication abilities. The proposed research over a period of twelve weeks will study the impact of the Memories in the Making art therapy groups on the well-being of the participants involved in the program. The hypothesis of this research grant is that the Memories in the Making Art Therapy Group will promote well-being and improve quality of life for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease