Artistic expression takes on so many different forms: playing an instrument, singing, performing onstage, writing, photography, knitting, sculpting, and the one that likely first comes to mind: painting/drawing. I usually focus on music in this blog, but we can mix it up a little! Therefore, in this post, I would like to share with y’all an artist who was impacted by Alzheimer’s disease: William Utermohlen. Throughout his art career, Utermohlen’s paintings can be categorized into cycles: "Mythological" paintings of 1962-63, the "Cantos" of 1965-1966 (inspired by Dante's Inferno), the "Mummers" cycle of 1969-1970 (which includes characters inspired by the South Philadelphia's New Year’s Day parade), the "War" series of 1972 (referencing the Vietnam war), the "Nudes" of 1973-74, and the "Conversation Pieces" of 1989-1991. Some believed that early signs of Alzheimer’s disease are evident in the “Conversation Pieces,” like shifting spatial perspectives and the focus on an intimate environment. This is evident in Snow, depicted below. As he aged and after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 1995, Utermohlen continued to paint and draw. In particular, Utermohlen focused on creating self-portraits in order to document and express his inner self as Alzheimer’s disease took over his brain. The portraits show grief, pain, resignation, confusion -- it’s heartbreaking to see, but also so valuable in order to get some kind of a sense of the trauma and anguish the person being afflicted is experiencing. Utermohlen’s portraits also show evidence of deteriorating motor functions and spatial awareness, as the lines and facial proportions progressively become less defined. Nevertheless, the portraits help to preserve Utermohlen’s identity, which transcends beyond the physicality of the canvas. This post is only a brief introduction to Utermohlen, and I’d definitely like to share more about him in the future because I find his story and art so inspiring. Next, perhaps I’ll dive deeper into the “Conversation Pieces,” particularly their potential connection to signs of Alzheimer’s disease.
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It’s the holiday season, which is also arguably the busiest time of the year. This season is no different-- but it came with early presents and hopes for the future! Looking forward, technology will continue to be an essential part of our lives, so in this post, I will be discussing an innovative and viable use of technology in senior care: VR and reminiscence therapy.
First, let me answer the question: what is reminiscence therapy? As the name sounds, reminiscence therapy involves sharing past activities, events, and experiences, usually with other people and the help of one’s senses. For example, aural can involve listening to past favorite music, smell and taste can involve baking a childhood favorite cake, visual can involve looking at photographs, and tactile can involve painting or sewing. An important aspect of reminiscence therapy to keep in mind is that it’s different from remembering: for example, instead of asking questions as if trying to test memories, like “where did you grow up?”, reminiscing more involves sharing memories together, perhaps looking at a photo of a birthday party and recounting stories about it. Reminiscence therapy is often used for seniors with dementia, and because its implementations can vary greatly, not much definitive scientific conclusions have been drawn about it. Nevertheless, reminiscence therapy may have positive benefits on cognition, mood, and communication for those with dementia. Now, how can virtual reality be applied to reminiscence therapy? VR is particularly useful for visual techniques in reminiscence therapy. Take Inspīr senior living’s experience with VR as an example. As explained by chief clinical officer Brian Geyser, a resident with dementia at Inspīr from Sweden had a hard time communicating with others, so they decided to try using VR reminiscence therapy with her. Set up with the VR headgear, projections of the resident’s hometown and university where she taught at were displayed using Google Earth. Suddenly, the resident became attentive and excited, pointing out places in her native language to everyone around her. VR has the potential to elevate reminiscence therapy. It takes a photograph and makes it alive through immersing the patient directly into it. Furthermore, VR can take a person anywhere: from their university in Sweden to the living room they lived in their whole youth, or perhaps on a hot air balloon above Cappadocia! Such projections involve more than just one sense, combining multiple to create a captivating and more powerful experience. And as VR becomes less costly and more common in everyday life, the possibility of its application in senior care becomes a reality. Here are a couple companies with VR headsets dedicated for seniors: MyndVR Virtue Health The Wayback Hi everyone! For this post, I just wanted to share a bit about an independent project I've been working on that is related to music and dementia. It's a project I've been working on for a while, so I hope it interests you or sparks some ideas of your own about ways to help patients with dementia!
Without our memories, who are we? From playing piano in Memory Care at the Pavilion, I’ve observed music’s powerful impact on the residents’ memories. I also wondered, which pieces are most beneficial to memory? From researching and documenting on this blog, I knew how songs from people’s youth can transport them to associated memories and emotions. However, I've recently been wondering, how do we know which pieces resonate strongest with dementia patients? For seniors who have lost cognitive ability to retrieve favorite or memorable songs from youth, it’s difficult to compile an effective list. Although caregivers may have an idea of which songs to choose, not all patients have close relatives or friends who are familiar with their youth. Although generations may have similar favorites or top songs, everyone’s background, which significantly influences music choice, is different. To solve this problem, my sister and I have been working on an invention (US 63/093,775) to build music playlists for dementia patients automatically. Here is some information about how we plan for the invention to work:
Forgetting: often seen as a sign of aging. But how do we know the difference between “normal” memory loss associated with age and memory loss caused by disease? Why does memory even get worse as we age? Let’s start with the second question. Here are a few potential contributors to our forgetfulness:
Now for the first question, I found a couple comparison charts that serve as good visualizations, although please keep in mind that everyone's situation is different: Because the brain does change as we age, memory loss could be a part of aging that we can't avoid. However, there are ways to lessen the impact, by ensuring that we are keeping our brains healthy and active for as long as possible. Alzheimer's and other dementias are not a normal part of aging, so it's important to know the differences.
Wow, it’s been such a strange couple of weeks! I just started the new school year completely online, and it’s been quite an adjustment. It feels like an awkward stage, between summer and school, because online school just doesn’t feel real. It was also like there was never closure to the previous school year because we ended online. Going through my blog, I know many of my recent posts have been about COVID-19, which I do believe is an important topic to explore, especially with respect to the elderly. However, further past these posts, I came across one about the different types of memories, and this sparked me to search for the opposite: the different types of memory loss.
Amnesia: “a partial or total loss of memory” (please note that this is different from causes of memory loss, which include dementia and Alzheimer’s disease)
Most of the time, amnesia is temporary. However, it is definitely a daunting concept to face. Clive Wearing, as mentioned in Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks, never ceases to inspire me. He’s a musician who, after a brain infection, suffered from devastating anterograde and retrograde amnesia. His memory span is only a few seconds, so he is constantly in a state of confusion about where he is, who he is, and what he’s doing. Every time I come across his story I am both amazed and haunted at the same time because I could never imagine how to live when every moment is like a new moment because I’ve forgotten that a few seconds ago even existed. It’s so crazy to think about how much our world has changed this year. COVID-19 has completely changed the way we interact with each other. Although restrictions are loosening and places are opening up, it’s still necessary to take precautions, especially with the elderly. Today, I want to focus on how COVID-19 affects those with dementia.
There’s no doubt that COVID-19 is especially dangerous for the elderly, but there’s an even higher risk for people with dementia. This is because those with dementia are likely to also have other health problems, like cardiovascular disease and pneumonia, and behaviors related to dementia can increase the risk of them contracting COVID-19. For example, since a characteristic of dementia is memory loss, they may have difficulties remembering safety measures to take, like washing hands or covering coughs. Individuals with more advanced stages of dementia may not fully understand the current situation and risks due to overall cognitive impairment. Those living in long term care facilities are also cut off from their family and friends, which can worsen confusion and stress. Social distancing in general interferes with the social activities, exercise groups, and other types of meaningful activities that are important parts of daily life. Therefore, it’s necessary to provide not only protection against the virus, but also care for mental and physical well being. Both caregivers and patients have roles to play in staying healthy and connected. Here are some examples:
Hi everyone! I came across this inspiring documentary, Alive Inside, towards the beginning of my journey researching music and memory. I think this documentary is a great introduction to music's impact on seniors, and anyone interested in this topic should watch it!
What is this documentary about? Alive Inside follows Dan Cohen, the founder of Music & Memory. Music & Memory is a nonprofit organization that focuses on music therapy as a way to unlock memories and comforting emotions in seniors with dementia. The documentary captures a few different seniors and their reactions to listening to beloved music from their childhood. It’s so inspiring to see these seniors literally wake up when they listen to the music. The documentary is also very informational on some shortcomings of the current healthcare system, demonstrating how some seniors react negatively to traditional care methods, like taking medicine. The documentary even includes interview clips with neurologist Oliver Sacks! Here is a touching clip from the documentary of a senior who was usually unresponsive, but when listening to music, became animated and alive again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HLEr-zP3fc I’ve also included a couple more documentaries about seniors with dementia that are on my list to watch soon. I love watching documentaries as a way to learn more about Alzheimer’s disease and caring for seniors because they enable the viewer to visually see the impact of memory loss and how effective different methods of treatment are. Memory for Max, Claire, Ida and Company
I Remember Better When I Paint
Alzheimer’s: Every Minute Counts
The Alzheimer's Project
Do You Know What My Name Is?
Happy holidays! This time of year has always been my favorite, and I hope you’re enjoying it, too. The comfort of being nestled in a blanket, drinking hot chocolate, and being with family brings back fond memories of previous years. Of course, in Texas, winter days can reach as high as 70 degrees and sunny, so I definitely cherish the days when it actually feels like winter. Speaking of relaxing with a blanket, I usually do this with a book in my hands or, more often these days, reading from my laptop. Today, I came across an interesting article on NPR:
https://www.npr.org/2019/12/22/790553867/how-music-therapy-could-help-people-with-dementia In this short interview with Nancy Gustafson, Gustafson reveals the inspiring way her mother regained some verbal communications and memories. Her mother went from answering yes or no to questions and not recognizing Gustafson to communicating with all of her children and recognizing a place she loves. This drastic improvement was due to a simple solution: music therapy. Gustafson first realized the effects of music therapy after singing Christmas carols to her mother. Even after a short 15 minutes of singing, Gustafson noted that her mother made remarks that she would have said “30 years ago, 40 years before”, when her mother didn’t have Alzheimer’s. Every time I read about the power of music, it astonishes me how much it truly helps patients suffering from memory loss to regain some of the life they had before. I hope this story can motivate more caregivers and patients to refuse to believe that nothing can be done after memory is lost because even if the memory and personality of a patient seems lost, there is still hope that they can be unleashed again through music. Wow, it's crazy how fast the year has flown by. Thank you for supporting my blog this year, and I can't wait for what the new year holds! |
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