Group Art Therapy with Nursing Home Residents with Dementia: Qualitative Case Studies
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Author
Rickles, Laura
Date
2018
Degree
Master of Arts in Art Therapy
Abstract
Dementia is the leading cause of institutionalization of the elderly population (Takeda, Tanaka,
Okochi, & Kazui, 2012). In the nursing home setting, art therapists have the unique opportunity
to bridge important components of quality of life for the residents in progressive decline. They
can employ cognitively-engaging therapeutic techniques to strengthen and stimulate what neural
capacities the residents still possess. This research was aimed at the implementation of the
Therapeutic Drawing Series (Del Giacco, 2000), a cognitively stimulating art therapy
intervention, with a group of nursing home residents with dementia. The research focused on
changes in social behavior and cognitive response from the participants. Through qualitative
observations, interviews with facility staff, and participant artwork, the researcher created case
studies for two focus group participants where the TDS directive was implemented. The
researcher then discussed the results and observed responses that could warrant additional
research and experimentation to further show effectiveness in using this technique with this
population.