ASK ANNA #9: Alzheimer's and Art Therapy

age-related disease
Click the title to read more. Visit Ask Anna Page to find out how to ask!
Image Credits: pixabay.com
Recently, I have been given the chance to explore the relationship of Alzheimer’s Disease and Art Therapy. Here are just some of the interview questions that I answered. These information may come in handy in the future!

 What are the mental capabilities of people with Alzheimer's?

 The mental capabilities of people with this condition are limited. At first, they may notice mild confusion and difficulty in remembering trivial things (e.g., the location of one’s keys). Multitasking is challenging for them too!

 Eventually, they may forget the names of important people in their lives. Further progression of the disorder may lead to the inability to recognize numbers and the inability to converse coherently.

7 Ways To Encourage Your Child To Be Expressive And Creative

art

By: Anna Agoncillo
Image Credits: David Woo via Flickr
Bounded by peer pressure and media messages, children today may find it hard to be themselves. Children who do not express themselves genuinely can become people-pleasers with low self-esteem or unhappy adults who cannot reach their fullest potentials. This is why as parents, it is important to encourage the child to be more expressive and creative.

 Aside from fostering self-expression, imagination and art therapy has been shown to reduce the feelings of pain in children. Here are 7 Ways to Help You Encourage Expression and Creativity…

 1. ALLOW FREE PLAY

 Give your child an unstructured time (e.g., 30 minutes, 1 hour, or so) to do whatever he/she wants. This free time will help your child to digest what happened during the day and to use endless imagination.

Art Appreciation Boosts Stroke Recovery Physically And Psychologically

adults

By: Anna Agoncillo
Image Credits: Dustin Gaffke via Flickr
Art therapy that fosters creativity can help several of mental and physical conditions such as anxiety, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), cancer, and stroke. Truly, expressive art benefits people with serious disorders. 

 Art therapy has been proven to be successful in ways that are different from the traditional therapies. 

 Three years ago, a study found that stroke survivors who enjoyed painting, music, and theater had better recovery than patients who did not. 

Psychology, Children, And Art: 5 Benefits of Art Therapy on Children

art
 By: Anna Agoncillo
What is Art Therapy?

 According to American Art Therapy Association (2014): "Art therapy is a mental health profession that uses the creative process of art making to improve and enhance the physical, mental and emotional well-being of individuals of all ages." 
Image Credits: Stephanie Sicore via Flickr
Art therapy has been proven to improve the well being of individuals by using various mediums such as painting, sculpting, singing, and drawing. Art therapy is especially beneficial for children since they are naturally more imaginative, artistic, and creative. They can express their feelings more through art than through words. 

 In that note here are 5 Benefits of Art Therapy on Children and a bonus recommendation of a Paint-By-Numbers Kit by Paintastic Art Craft that your Children will enjoy. 

 1. PROMOTES SELF-EXPRESSION WITH LITTLE TO NO BOUNDS

 Art therapy is a one of a kind therapy that can be used in counseling or diagnosis because of its creative nature that has little to no bounds. It allows the children to manifest their own feelings and emotions that they might have repressed.

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