Art and Dementia projects

A series of eight art packs developed for clients of the Alzheimer Society of Ireland.

WHO:

Hello, my name is Olivia Hassett.  I am an artist living and working in Dublin 24.  Over the past number of years, I have facilitated art with patients in Tallaght University Hospital and with a group of clients in Rose Cottage, an Alzheimer Society of Ireland Dementia Day care center.

WHY:

Last year I enjoyed making art alongside some of the wonderful clients of Rose Cottage.  I really missed these sessions and the lovely people I met there.  For this reason, I applied for and was delighted to get further funding from the Adelaide Health Foundation to work on an exciting project to develop dementia-friendly art packs to be delivered to some of the clients of the Alzheimer Society of Ireland and their carers.  This project was developed in direct response to the limited availability of services for ASI clients during the COVID 19 pandemic.

WHAT:

I have developed eight different ART@home art packs for ASI clients and carers to enjoy in their own time and in the comfort of their home.  The main aim of the art packs is that the clients and their carers enjoy the ART@home programme, be inspired to learn new skills, work together and create amazing art! 

HOW:

Extensive research went into the development of each stand-alone art pack in the series of eight.  I have again drawn from the Meet me at Moma Art and dementia Matrix system in the development of these art packs.   I will explain more about this research in a future post.

Each art packs was inspired by a different art material and theme.  The techniques and activities that I designed for each of the brochures were chosen to be dementia friendly and compliment the specific theme and material of each of the art packs.

 

WHEN:

The clients and carers will receive one art pack at a time every few weeks. The pack contents are theirs to keep so they can return to them at their leisure. 

Over the coming months the clients and carers will enjoy painting with watercolours and inks, making with clay, drawing with chalk and oil pastels, working with paper collage and coloured tissue papers.  Nearer to Christmas they will be crafting up some festive cheer. 

To celebrate this project I will be organising an online exhibition of a selection of the wonderful artworks that will be created.  The online exhibition will go live in 2021.