Art Therapy

[Rain]

@Tacenda  I was just reading a book and came across this and thought you might be interested.  The book is "Mayo Clinic Guide to Integrative Medicine"

It said that art therapy might help with Alzheimer's though I think they are saying that the studies show how it helps when you already have it rather than preventing it.  The use "engages attention, provides pleasure and improves neuropsychiatric symptoms, social behavior and self esteem." 

It would be interesting to see if it helped in preventing it as well.

They suggested one example is tearing or cutting paper to create the art or mosaics.

 

[Tacenda]

8 minutes ago, Rain said:

@Tacenda  I was just reading a book and came across this and thought you might be interested.  The book is "Mayo Clinic Guide to Integrative Medicine"

It said that art therapy might help with Alzheimer's though I think they are saying that the studies show how it helps when you already have it rather than preventing it.  The use "engages attention, provides pleasure and improves neuropsychiatric symptoms, social behavior and self esteem." 

It would be interesting to see if it helped in preventing it as well.

They suggested one example is tearing or cutting paper to create the art or mosaics.

 

This I might could do, lol. I'm terrible at crafts!

[Rain]

22 minutes ago, Tacenda said:

This I might could do, lol. I'm terrible at crafts!

What I liked about that one, as the booked talked about, was that you don't need skill or artistic talent with it.  There are obviously, very talented mosaic artists, but doing the paper mosaic isn't as discouraging as drawing can be - drawing you  are usually going for a certain look, but with the paper mosaic you can be going for a certain look or just making it a meditative practice.  

[Tacenda]

6 minutes ago, Rain said:

What I liked about that one, as the booked talked about, was that you don't need skill or artistic talent with it.  There are obviously, very talented mosaic artists, but doing the paper mosaic isn't as discouraging as drawing can be - drawing you  are usually going for a certain look, but with the paper mosaic you can be going for a certain look or just making it a meditative practice.  

I recently started a punch yarn project that is super easy, not for me, lol. 

[Rain]

2 hours ago, Tacenda said:

I recently started a punch yarn project that is super easy, not for me, lol. 

I used to crochet potholders in RS. Very easy, helped me to concentrate and I didn't need a pattern.  An older woman noticed and asked if I could teach her to make baby blankets for her children. She said she had a little experience.

Well, I didn't even know how to read a pattern! I told her I hadn't done one and give me some time.  I learned how to read a pattern, made 2 baby blankets and I was ready.

I don't know how much practice this woman had, but now her hands were gnarled and tight with arthritis.  After one session we threw out the pattern I had and just concentrated on a square of single crochet.

It was so hard for her! We would work and work on it till she seemed to have it and then I would go home and she would practice in between.  I would come back and it was such a tangled mess of knots.

She would apologize over and over to me, but it inspired me.  I don't know anything that was as hard for me as that "easy" crocheting was for her, but she just kept trying and trying.

The last time I met with her it was quite a bit better, but unfortunately I moved right after that. 

I learned there are so many things you can do with practice that you wouldn't think you could do,  but always to have patience for others because some things just come easier for some people than they do for others. 

Edited August 9, 2023 by Rain

[Tacenda]

2 minutes ago, Rain said:

I used to crochet potholders in RS. Very easy, helped me to concentrate and I didn't need a pattern.  An older woman noticed and asked if I could teach her to make baby blankets for her children. She said she had a little experience.

Well, I didn't even know how to read a pattern! I told her I hadn't done one and give me some time.  I learned how to read a pattern, made 2 baby blankets and I was ready.

I don't know how much practice this woman had, but now her hands were gnarled and tight with arthritis.  After one session we threw how the pattern I had and just concentrated on a square of single crochet.

It was so hard for her! We would work and work on it till she seemed to have it and then I would go home and she would practice in between.  I would come back and it was such a tangled mess of knots.

She would apologize over and over to me, but it inspired me.  I don't know anything that was as hard for me as that "easy" crocheting was for her, but she just kept trying and trying.

The last time I met with her it was quite a bit better, but unfortunately I moved right after that. 

I learned there are so many things you can do with practice that you wouldn't think you could do,  but always to have patience for others because some things just come easier for somethings than they do for others. 

What a sweet story! I've often thought that doing things with your hands would help with Alzheimer's. My mother who had it quite young, around my age, use to do embroidery, but she couldn't with her disease and her eyesight. She was unable to even get an eye exam because her not understanding. She had lost her glasses.

But you've renewed my interest to get going and work on the couple of projects I've put to the side. It took me nearly four years to finish a quilt that I did through my friend's workplace where you do a quilt square a month and then put it all together at the end of the year. My friend is a pro and after I was finally done, with border and all, she quilted it with a sewing arm with designs and I weeded her yard for payment back for several days, lol.  But I am thankful I finally finished it. I've crocheted a few afghans and wash cloths in the past too. But the older I get the more insecure I am. 

But thanks Rain, for making a whole topic just to me! ❤️ I hope others speak up on their projects, that would be fun!

Also, one added note, I was always the last to finish at the Super Saturday crafts through my various wards, or Souper Wednesdays too. I usually signed up for way too many. I am a wanna be crafter, sewer etc. It doesn't come easy. 

[Rain]

11 minutes ago, Tacenda said:

What a sweet story! I've often thought that doing things with your hands would help with Alzheimer's. My mother who had it quite young, around my age, use to do embroidery, but she couldn't with her disease and her eyesight. She was unable to even get an eye exam because her not understanding. She had lost her glasses.

But you've renewed my interest to get going and work on the couple of projects I've put to the side. It took me nearly four years to finish a quilt that I did through my friend's workplace where you do a quilt square a month and then put it all together at the end of the year. My friend is a pro and after I was finally done, with border and all, she quilted it with a sewing arm with designs and I weeded her yard for payment back for several days, lol.  But I am thankful I finally finished it. I've crocheted a few afghans and wash cloths in the past too. But the older I get the more insecure I am. 

But thanks Rain, for making a whole topic just to me! ❤️ I hope others speak up on their projects, that would be fun!

Also, one added note, I was always the last to finish at the Super Saturday crafts through my various wards, or Souper Wednesdays too. I usually signed up for way too many. I am a wanna be crafter, sewer etc. It doesn't come easy. 

❤