Ashlyn Cunningham, OTD, OTR\/L, assistant professor of occupational therapy, launched and oversees the program. She has witnessed participants undergo tremendous transformations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe often see a person come in the first week, quiet and confused, and by week three or four, they\u2019re attentive and engaged with other people,\u201d Cuningham says. \u201cIt\u2019s the relational aspect of the program, in addition to the art, that makes the difference. We support the individual by offering choices and a sense of purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Opening Minds through Art participants are referred through the Alzheimer’s Association or by word of mouth. Launched in the fall of 2015, it\u2019s the first program of its kind in Missouri \u2014 in that it serves people who live in their homes, and who lack access to social activities provided by memory-care facilities.<\/p>\n \u201cThese families are looking for opportunities for their loved ones to still be engaged,\u201d says Cunningham, the state\u2019s first certified OMA facilitator.<\/p>\n To foster an ongoing relationship, each participant\/artist teams up with one Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPstudent for the full eight weeks. OMA challenges the artists as well as the volunteers, who must acclimate to the slower pace of communication and engagement of someone with dementia.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do a lot of waiting, and that’s very uncomfortable for the students sometimes, because they’re quick, and their young minds are sharp,\u201d Cunningham says.<\/p>\n Ashlyn Cunningham, OTD, OTR\/L, assistant professor, is Missouri\u2019s first certified OMA facilitator<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Patience is essential, agrees Kelly Monroy, a fourth-year occupational therapy student. She volunteered with OMA last spring, and says simple rituals help everyone ease into the process.<\/p>\n \u201cWe begin each session with an opening song,\u201d Monroy says. \u201cUsually we started with \u2018You are My Sunshine.\u2019 It\u2019s a familiar tune and gets everyone in the mood for a positive experience.\u201d<\/p>\n The art projects are hands-on and abstract; there is no right or wrong method or outcome. An initial project during Monroy\u2019s term involved making designs with colored shaving cream, which produced the effect of marbled paper. The participant she paired with was a former banker, who still held himself to a high standard.<\/p>\n \u201cHe would try to make a circle, and if it wasn\u2019t a perfect circle he would grimace,\u201d Monroy says. But she noticed how much he enjoyed mixing colors into the shaving cream, and called upon that observation to shower him with enthusiastic praise.<\/p>\n Volunteers ask the artists to name their projects. One participant could only utter a single word, \u201cWow,\u201d when he saw what he\u2019d created, so \u201cWow\u201d became the title of his work.<\/p>\n The framed work goes on display at the end of the two months. Cunningham says families relish the experience of viewing their loved one\u2019s art for the first time.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a big reveal,\u201d Cunningham says. \u201cAnd then the work becomes an object for families to display in their homes, or for the artist to give as a gift.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Alumna Supports OMA<\/strong><\/p>\n Barbara Cooney, \u201958, an alumna of Maryville\u2019s English program who now lives in Sedalia, Missouri, is a philanthropist and artist. Although Cunningham is quick to point out that that Opening Minds through Art does not fall into the category of art therapy, a specific, degreed discipline, Cooney wanted to encourage Maryville\u2019s use of art-making in the therapeutic realm. She recently donated $5,000 to OMA.<\/p>\n \u201cMaking art gives a person a certain sense of power over their environment,\u201d Cooney says. \u201cIt gives them a little more autonomy.\u201d<\/p>\n Cooney\u2019s donation will allow OMA to continue to purchase artist-grade supplies, including professional-quality paint and India ink. It also paid for Cunningham\u2019s \u201cTrain the Trainer\u201d certification program this past summer.<\/p>\n OMA is a precious resource for the families as well as the artists, according to Debra Bryer, the Alzheimer\u2019s Association\u2019s early stage initiatives manager.<\/p>\n \u201cIt gives them an opportunity to have a little bit of a break, and to hang out and talk with each other in a very informal kind of way,\u201d Bryer says.<\/p>\n Bryer and Cunningham would like to see OMA expand throughout St. Louis, and in particular, to serve more African-Americans participants. Recent research shows this population has a higher risk of developing dementia.<\/p>\n That kind of expansion would strengthen an already important bond between the nonprofit organization and Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP, Byer says, adding: \u201cIt\u2019s a wonderful, valuable partnership.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Opening](\"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2018\/01\/OMA.M1-200x300.jpg\")
A little encouragement, a big reveal<\/strong><\/p>\n