A Short-Term Art Therapy Group for Individuals with Dementia

Abstract

This human-subject study used the Quality of Life-Alzheimer's Disease (QOL-AD) for its pre- and post-test intervention format without at control group. It was hypothesized that there would be an increase in quality of life (QoL) scores after participation in the 6-week art therapy group. The findings were anticipated to suggest that the supportive group art therapy setting improved QoL in the participants in the domains of energy, mood, and self as a whole. The pre-QOL-AD provided a baseline measure of QoL that was compared to the post-QOL-AD to identify if a change in QoL occurred as a result of participation in the study. Eight participants created an ongoing life review project, recommended by Judith Walk, over six sessions. They were provided with 18-by-24-inch white artist paper, colored pencils, markers, pre-cut collage images, and glue. The paper was pre-divided into six sections. Each section represented an important phase of life, ranging from childhood to the present. The results showed an increase in QoL for five of the eight participants. The participant and caregiver pre- and post-test total scores and scores for the domain of self as a whole were found to be approaching significance. These findings provide support for the use of art therapy to improve QoL for individuals with dementia. Future implications of this study include additional research on the use of Judith Wald's method and the QOL-AD as a measure of QoL for individuals with dementia, particularly for art therapy studies.