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Abstract

Grief is often paired with the response of losing a loved one; in this presentation grief is identified as experience of a general loss. Grief responses vary across all individuals and for someone with Dementia, grief can be a challenging process to work through due to memory loss, impaired judgment, language and various cognitive functioning (Alzheimer�s Foundation of America, 2015). Comorbid diagnoses with Dementia are additional factors that can attribute to difficulty when working through grief. For example, someone with Parkinson�s disease tend to present with increased depressive symptoms where someone may have increased feelings of hopelessness. Art therapy has been effective assessing cognitive status; an avenue to express non-verbal communication, a vehicle for reminiscing and provide something tangible that can be explored and selfreflected (Kahn-Denis, 1997). It is apparent then that art therapy along with narrative techniques can be a complementary treatment to grief (Beaumont, 2013) as a way that offers introspection and self-exploration that result in personal transformation. This presentation will share three case studies and how three different art therapy directives benefited someone with Dementia working through their own grief process to find healing. These three studies share different forms of grief including loss of identity as this person experiences memory loss and impaired physical ability, another on a series of art pieces reflecting her life journey of numerous losses and another on how one person with memory loss was able to reach healing after un-expectantly losing a close friend. These case studies demonstrate how art therapy can help someone with Dementia experiencing grief reach a state of balance, peace and healing.

Biography

Email: glinzakl@yahoo.com