Rebuilding Neural Pathways in Older Adults with Art Therapy

Abstract

This paper explores scholarly literature regarding dementia, neural pathways, dementia studies, types of dementia, and previous art therapy studies with the aging population. A study was conducted at two aging facilities in a midwestern metropolitan city to determine correlations between quality of life, mood, and art therapy interventions for people with dementia. This grant funded study used a mixed methods methodology which combined both quantitative and qualitative research to provide a variety of data collection measures that can be used to provide a broader understanding of the clients. Two surveys were given to all participants in August and December: The Brunnsviken Brief Quality of life scale (BBQ) and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). In addition to those measures, the researchers collected participant verbalizations throughout the research study. It was determined that the results of this study did not demonstrate a correlation between mood and quality of life in the domain areas studied. Some participants that showed decreased depression and showed a decrease in QoL, while some showed an increase in QoL, and others showed no change at all. An increase in mood across 61% of participants during the art therapy study warrants a deeper look into whether this type of intervention is responsible for decreased depressive symptoms. Based on the findings in the study, formal assessments may not be the most accurate way to gather the benefits with this population due to the presence of cognitive decline and lowered ability to self-report.