Finding expression through art

Art classes for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients can offer new forms of expression for those who have lost some of their ability to communicate.

“It makes it easy for the individual to express,” said Donna Tryon, who facilitates an art program at the Sil- verado Senior Living Center in Costa Mesa. “The purpose of the program is to encourage the resi- dents to do just that. Maybe they can’t talk very well but they can paint.”

The program, called “Memories in the Making,” uses watercolor painting as a way for the patients to work around thought and speech impairments.

Those who run the program have found that the act of painting can actually trigger memory retrieval, allowing people to express thoughts when they are no longer capable of doing so verbally.

Patients’ painting styles have also been found to reveal their progression through the disease. For instance, painters in the later stages of Alzheimer’s do not blend their colors and tend to paint almost entirely in dots and straight lines.

Tryon runs a group every Tuesday sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Assn.’s Orange County chapter. She became involved with the art program after her mother was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2004.

“I am a watercolorist,” Tryon said. “I told the activities director and she invited me to a ‘Memories in the Making’ training.”

The training explained the different stages of the disease and how to conduct a class, as well as providing specifications for class materials. Uniformity of paper size and weight, along with the exclusive use of watercolors, top the list of specifics.

“Watercolors are safe, but they don’t cause the artists to feel like children as using crayons would,” said Tryon. “In case they drink it, they won’t get sick.”

Tryon’s mother, Adelle Sever, attends the class, where she often paints flowers.

During the latest class, Sever painted a vase of flowers based on a card she received from a friend. Tryon said her mother enjoys bringing in cards and repainting the cover designs.

Another class participant, Carl Wiebe, used a magazine photograph of a bouquet of flowers, a work he expressed entirely in varying shades of green.

“I like green,” Wiebe said.

Sever’s most recently completed painting, “Daffodils,” was presented with around 30 other pieces at “An Affair to Remember,” the Alzheimer’s Assn. Orange County chapter’s annual fundraiser, held this year at the Turnip Rose in Costa Mesa.

“We’re raising money to support the services and programs we provide,” said Nicole Forrest, director of special events for the association. “There is no cost to the families we help.”

More than 350 people attended the gala March 24, which raised about $100,000 from the auctioning of the art and a wide array of trips, dinners and sporting-related activities and prizes.

Sever’s painting sold for $250 in the silent auction.

“It was the minimum bid, but it is that much more money for the program,” Tryon said.

Each piece was professionally matted and framed for the event by local framers.

For program services director Deborah O’Connor, the event showcased community support for the association.

“I love that the art is here and gets a lot of exposure,” O’Connor said. “It raises awareness of the disease and support of our services and programs.”

O’Connor oversees all programs within the county chapter, including “Memories in the Making.” The money raised at the fundraiser goes toward programs such as the art class, a caregiver support group and a helpline. Forty-six groups throughout the county offer support to those who care for Alzheimer’s patients, mostly family members.

The association recorded a 20% increase of helpline calls in February compared to a year ago.

Jim McAleer, executive director of the Alzheimer’s Assn. chapter, said the jump is a result of the growing population of adults 65 and older.