Health, Wellness & the Arts: A
Person-Centered Approach to
Care for People with Dementia
Gay Hanna, PhD, MFA
Executive Director,
National Center for Creative Aging
Liz Nichols, TimeSlips Facilitator
NCCA Mission
NCCA is dedicated to fostering an understanding of the vital
relationship between creative expression and healthy aging
and to developing programs that build on this
understanding.
Health & Wellness
Civic Engagement
Lifelong Learning
Dedicated To:
Gene Cohen, MD
1944 - 2009
Creativity and Aging Study
New theories and research findings on the positive
influence of music and art on health with
ageing.
Creativity and Aging Research
 Research Indicators:
 Social engagement
 Mastery
Creativity and Aging Research
Findings:
 Better health
 Less doctor visits
 Less medication
 Increase in activities and social engagement
 Projected Health Care Costs Savings: $.08/day = $1
billion/year in Medicare D
Gene Cohen’s Brain Games
Nun Study
David A. Snowdon, Ph.D., of the University of Kentucky's
Sanders-Brown Center on Aging
 Connection between early language skills and the likelihood of
developing dementia
 Roughly 80% of nuns whose writing was measured as lacking
in linguistic density went on to develop Alzheimer's disease in
old age; meanwhile, of those whose writing was not lacking,
only 10% later developed the disease.
 "that traits in early, mid, and late life have strong relationships
with the risk of Alzheimer's disease,
as well as the mental and cognitive disabilities of
old age."
Intergenerational volunteering and QOL for
persons with mild to moderate dementia
Qualitative results
The Intergenerational School
Vision for a Social Innovation
An Intergenerational
Learning Community
Pre-K, Adult Education,
Teacher Training,
Enhanced IG programs
Dissemination
Existing
Intergeneration
al Programs
K-8 public
school
Programs in Art and Dementia at
MoMA
Art-Making Program
MoMA Resources
www.moma.org/meetme
Meet Me: Making Art Accessible to People
with Dementia
NYU Evaluation of Meet Me at
MoMA
 Caregivers reported fewer emotional problems during
the week following their visit
 Both participants reported elevated mood
 Participants with dementia reported an elevation in
their self-esteem
 Caregivers reported an increase in social support
Mission :
RESTORE HEALTH AND
COMMUNITY
THROUGH THE POWER OF SONG
Engage hundreds of elders, older
adults and families in hands-on
songwriting and performance using
an internationally recognized
method proven to restore health
and community.
• Write songs with active and frail folks
including those who have Alzheimer's disease
and other dementias.
• Offer trainings and consulting for music,
arts and health practitioners and for
caregivers seeking to bring the power of song
to their clients and loved ones.
• Operate internationally
with current long-term
projects in San Francisco and
on Washington State's
Olympic
Peninsula.
For those with dementia and cognitive injuries, Songwriting Works™ provides
affirmation and engagement. Workshops are welcoming and spontaneous as we seize
the moment. Trained facilitators make each interaction an invitation. “Personcentered” songwriting moves at participants' pace and style. Everyone, even the shy,
reticent, or 'less able' join in as songs and surprises come to life.
Programs are held at:
 Senior Centers
 Retirement Communities
 Adult Day Care
 Independent and Assisted Living
 Skilled Nursing
 Dementia Care
 Gero-Psych
 Hospice/End of Life
 Intergenerational celebrations
The TimeSlips Project aims to:
 Inspire people with dementia to hone and share the gifts
of their imaginations
 Inspire others to see beyond loss to recognize the
strengths of people with dementia
 Improve the quality of
life of people with
dementia and those
who care for them
Forget Memory
Anne Basting (Ph.D.)
Executive Director;
Associate Professor,
Theatre, Center on Age &
Community
TimeSlips
To become Certified:
 Take the TimeSlips Training Online OR In-Person
 Practice the method and use the website for at least 3
months
 Apply to become Certified as an individual or an
organization
 Visit the Training page for more information on Training
and Certification.
Timeslips.org
Stay Tuned!
Washington, DC Area Geriatric Education Center
Consortium (WAGECC) Trainings
 October 20 + 27, 2011
End-of-Life Nursing Education (ELNEC) Core Course
 November 3, December 13, 2011 + January 12, 2012
Professional Development Program Core Course