Reaching For The Gold, June 18, 2013
Much has been written and said to the effect that Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia can steal away people’s intellectual processes, leaving them dependent on others. And this dialogue has translated into its becoming a greatly-feared diagnosis. Well, Alzheimer’s might impair the memory of those who are living with it and it might also slow some of their mental processes. But interestingly enough, it might simultaneously work to make them more creative.
Our two guests today represent projects which are designed to grant participants an opportunity to utilize that gift as they grant their observational skills and imagination free reign. TimeSlips encourages participants to tell narratives based on pictures that they are shown. And Artists for Alzheimer’s leads older people and their care partners on museum tours, nudging them towards giving their impressions of the paintings they encounter.
Kathryn Louis Hawkins is TimeSlips Creative Storytelling Regional Trainer in Ohio. Dee Brenner serves as the program coordinator for the Boston-based Artists for Alzheimer’s.
Reaching For The Gold
A publishing journalist and a college instructor Harriet finds that these two careers have much in common as they both demand honing communication skills every day. Harriet instructs her students almost exclusively online and her writing is published in print and over the web. Times change but the need to speak to your audience by being concise, yet intriguing, is key.
