55 Art Projects for Dementia Care
When John shared with us his concern that Heather had a cognitive impairment, which was later confirmed, I wanted to find a way to support John and spend time with Heather. Recognizing Heather’s flair for color and design, I suggested we capitalize on her talents by planning Friday art sessions.
We started in the fall of 2022. Our initial Fridays together were so easy to plan. Heather was keen to try her hand at anything I proposed. We painted with acrylics, made stained glass mosaic mirrors, wreaths, and beaded sun catchers. Our art session lasted hours every Friday.
Gradually, with each passing month, it became increasingly difficult to come up with ideas that were both straightforward and captivating for Heather’s artistic sensibilities. Projects involving intricate steps were no longer an option.
The art depicted in the posts that follow illustrate Heather’s rapid and steady decline.
It’s been quite a while since I last shared anything. Over the past several months, I’ve regularly offered art supplies to Heather, hoping to coax her into joining me in drawing, painting, or even just coloring. Regrettably, I couldn’t seem to spark her interest in any form of artistic expression. But I wasn’t ready to Read More
Heather has started layering colours in her art. This is a new phenomenon as she was previously very careful to not mix or blend colours on her canvas. In this piece of art, Heather began by making a yellow circle with a marker. She then drew additional circles within the yellow one, sometimes covering an Read More
I got to spend the evening with Heather while John attended the 30th anniversary celebration of the Samba Nova | Community percussion band in Halifax, NS in which he has been a member for many years. I brought art supplies, and we enjoyed a relaxing time painting together. It started with just a few drops Read More
I’ve discovered that Heather is most comfortable when painting with liquid watercolors. Although she may struggle with opening the bottles or knowing what to do once they’re open, I’ve noticed that if I drop a few splashes of paint onto the paper, she immediately starts painting. Her painting reminds me of a sandwich and is Read More
In my book, Fridays with Heather – An Art Journey through Dementia, you will find samples of the art Heather and I made together from the early fall of 2022 until the early winter of 2024. As you will see, there was a rapid decline in Heather’s approach to making art during this time. On Read More
This Friday in early March, I laid out a few colours of paint and a few oil pastels. As Heather watched, I started drawing shapes using the oil pastels on my paper. I handed a pastel to Heather and encouraged her to draw on her paper. Then, I began using the bright colors from our Read More
