Can creating art assist dementia sufferers?
February 26th 2010 09:48
Signature Tune
From: BBC News
An art scheme helping people with dementia is being trialled at a residential home in Gwynedd.
Plas Maesincla residents in Caernarfon visited an exhibition before creating their own artwork ranging from paintings to pottery.
The artwork is seen as a way to develop an interest and improve quality of life.
Work created by the residents will be on show at the Gwynedd Museum and Art Gallery in Bangor later in the year.
"Being creative and having the opportunity to enjoy art is accepted as a way of improving wellbeing and helping people who are sick or who receive treatment," said Gwawr Wyn Roberts, Gwynedd council community arts development officer.
National survey
Ms Roberts said the initiative had given residents from Plas Maesincla the chance to visit an exhibition of Cefyn Burgess artwork, which was a catalyst for them to start creating their own work.
"They worked with community artist Eleri Jones to produce their own artwork which included paintings, cushions, pottery and more," she added.
Coun John Wyn Williams, Gwynedd council senior portfolio leader, added that it was natural that taking an interest, and having the opportunity to take part in cultural activities was good for people.
"This is true of any person, and it is therefore pleasing to see an initiative which is thinking creatively so that people with dementia can express themselves creatively," he said.
The trial results will be fed into a national survey which researches the effect of visual art on people with dementia, he added.
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