Art, theatre and clowns: creative cures for dementia

A theater company in Germany is using specially-designed plays to help improve the emotional state of those with dementia and Alzheimer's disease. The carefully selected ensemble uses period pieces, music, and audience interaction as a way to increase engagement and has seen individuals respond to this methodology.

A program called Time Slips is aiming to make nursing homes in Kentucky hubs for artistic expression and creativity. They are tracking how expressing creativity and engaging in art therapy improves residents' health outcomes and family satisfaction. This program also engages nursing home residents in their community, making them feel less stigmatized by their age.

A small, participant-led weekly arts and crafts group in Barrow has helped around 15 men living with mental health conditions, dementia, and autism build social connections and overcome anxiety-related challenges.

Clinic clowns aren't just bringing joy to elderly dementia patients, they are also fostering a sense of wellbeing and positivity while helping them recall memories from their past through the use of art, music, and improvisation. Because many are volunteers and don't have medical training, a clown academy is now offering a specific training course where clinic clowns can learn about "patient psychology, dealing with care facilities and working in tandem with a medical team."

Performance art provides a healing outlet for formerly incarcerated individuals. In New York City, the Ritual4Return program encourages participants to express the transition in their lives through art. Using an artistic expression helps individuals cope with the experience of incarceration and encourages them to reflect on crossing the threshold into the next stage of life. The program operates with the support of grants from universities, foundations, and private donations through a Kickstarter campaign.

Producing art restores dignity and a sense of purpose to victims of violence who suffer from disability and chronic pain. In New York City, the Open Doors collective empowers patients at hospitals like the Coler Specialty Health Center on Roosevelt Island, encouraging them too engage in community theater, poetry, music, graphic design, and other projects. The approach of contemplative care aims to help the shooting survivors cope with their pain through artistic expression.

To combat emotional distress that many students are facing, schools across the nation are implementing mock funerals, allowing students to figuratively "bury their pain." Although issues at focus range from drunk driving, to poor test scores to peer violence, the overarching goal is to make sure that students feel that they're being heard by the adults that surround them.

Living with dementia can often lead to loneliness for not just those inflicted, but also the caregivers involved. To help create a community around this, the Ypsilanti Senior Center has started a monthly Memory Cafe that serves as a place for others in these situations to converse and connect.

People who work in caring professions often experience vicarious trauma, and don't always take the time to seek care for themselves. Rino Consulting Solutions aims to help solve this issue, especially as it impacts people of color, through "a unique mashup of professional guidance and outdoor-based therapy."

Theater bridges cultural divides and helps migrants cope with trauma. The Liquid Company, founded in 2013 in Catania, Italy, offers migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers who have crossed the Mediterranean a therapeutic outlet to heal and manage their emotions. The multicultural group uses the stage and creative forms of expression to share their stories of struggle, ranging from human trafficking and shipwreck to feelings of displacement and isolation. By giving young migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers a voice, the Liquid Company empowers them to create their own narrative.