Last week, a Stanford colleague, Lauren Stroshane, RN, attended a talk by three people at the Avenidas Rose Kleiner Center in Mountain View. The subject was: how music, art, and horticulture can function as therapy. Lauren took some notes during the caregiver workshop, and has shared them with us.
The speaker on the topic of art was Marguerite Manteau-Rao, LCSW. Several people in our atypical parkinsonism support group know her. She is a specialist in mindfulness-based caregiving.
Now, on to Lauren’s notes….
Robin
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“How Music, Art, and Horticulture can function as therapy”
Notes by Lauren Stroshane, RN
Avenidas Family Caregiving 101 Workshop on 6-19-14
Speakers: John Lehman, Linda Sullivan Baity, PhD, and Marguerite Manteau-Rao, LCSW
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1) “Listening to & Reminiscing with Vintage Music to Halt or Reverse
Memory Decline”
Speaker: John Lehman, Senior New Ways, seniornewways.org
Why music?
– scientific research has repeatedly shown that your brain responds
strongly to the music you listened to as a teenager
– music is a way of representing feelings and uses many types of brain
function simultaneously, more than most other activities
Memory & “vintage” music — meaning whatever is vintage for us
– teenage hormone changes and emotional development cement these memories
– entire episodes of memory are stored: sounds, smells, visuals, etc.
– brain imaging in the last 14 years shows dramatic improvements in
memory with music therapy
Program/therapy goals:
– improve or halt memory loss in adults 65+
– recover dignity in daily living
– group therapy and personal memory kits
– another goal is to eventually get these therapies reimbursed by
insurance companies, Medicare
Vintage Music Group Therapy
– groups of 15+ adults in residential and day care centers
– pre-therapy memory testing to establish baseline
– 2 one-hour music listening and reminiscing sessions each week for 6-12 months
– he incorporates listening to music, movement, touch, singing,
talking about memories
– memory re-testing every 6 weeks
Memory kits for individual use
– iRemember Now personal music kit including mp3 player pre-loaded
with the greatest hits from 1940s radio
– every song is announced beforehand
– includes 16.5 hours of music
– cost is $150 including shipping
– currently they only have 1940s available
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2) Therapeutic horticulture
Speaker: Linda Sullivan Baity, PhD
Benefits of therapeutic horticulture
– relieves stress, increases energy, great exercise
– aging can present challenges for those who like to garden; she
discusses some ways to adapt the gardening environment
Horticulture therapy = formal methods used by trained PTs, OTs, and
rehabilitation professionals in a clinical setting
Therapeutic horticulture = looser, less formal approach that can be
used by anybody, either passively or actively
Gardening benefits…
1. the visual cortex — near vision, distance
2. hand-eye coordination
3. fine and gross motor skills
4. cognition — recognizing categories, logic, focus, following instructions
5. physiology — heart rate & blood pressure decrease, immune function increases
6. sensorimotor — stimulates all 5 senses
Removing barriers to horticulture therapy
– physical vs. attitudinal barriers
– start by assessing:
* height/weight
* dexterity
* vision / hearing
* strength
* stamina
* mobility
* safety!
Raised beds can be a tremendous aid
– 18″ high at least, with a wide board around it for sitting on
– 24″ high is perfect for a wheelchair or sitting stool
– 30-36″ good for standing
– don’t make it wider across than you can reach!
– should be about 30″ to the middle or less
Other ways to adapt
– plastic its are lighter & easier to move than ceramic
– 5-8% grade max in your garden for paths, choose direct routes not
meandering paths
– decomposed granite is a great surface for walking & wheelchairs but
not great for cane or walker
– extender to raise the water spigot
– small watering can
– security — how will the gardener get assistance if they need it,
how to prevent wandering
– huge assortment of ergonomic tools available
* wood handles can be too heavy; longer handles are good
– aprons with pockets can be handy for storing tools
– knee pads
– baskets for wheelchairs & walkers
– ratchet pruners
Resources: Books
“Accessible Gardening for People with Physical Disabilities: A guide
methods, tools & plants,” by Janeen Adil
“Enabling Garden: Creating Barrier-Free Gardens,” by Gene Rothert
“The Able Gardener” by Kathleen Yeomans, RN
The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, Paralysis Resource Center
christopherreeve.org/site/c.mtKZKgMWKwG/b.5300837/k.7D2E/Gardening_from_a_Wheelchair.htm
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3) Mindfulness and Art Therapy
Speaker: Marguerite Manteau-Rao, LCSW
presencecareproject.com
How to engage with a person with dementia during art therapy?
* facilitate but don’t lead
* recognize all peoples’ desire to make decisions & have choices
* people need to feel useful and competent — don’t overwhelm them or set them up to fail
Type of dementia diagnosis matters — may influence the type of art
and how you engage with them
Examples of art activities for many cognitive levels
– Smartphones photo exercise — use the “camera” function on your cell phone, let the person take a photo of something in the area. Then
engage with them to talk about why they chose that image, and what it
means to them
– collages
– stickers
– mandalas
– stencils
– clay can be fun BUT concern about ingesting it
Tips for successful art sessions
* provide some structure
* borders on the page
* still lives such as flowers in a vase
* don’t provide a big piece of paper
* limited # of colors, otherwise too many options can be overwhelming
Resources:
NY MOMA Alzheimer’s Project, moma.org/meetme/
– this contains modules for people with dementia
– activities, videos, photos