New and notables at Jerry's

Taken from The Palette from NAMTA - September 10

The Power of Art 

Partnership to reach people with dementia EL PASO, TX: Until now, there were few ways for people with dementia to express themselves and to socialize in the El Paso community.

That will change come October, when a new collaboration between the El Paso Art Museum and the local Alzheimer’s Association will provide people with dementia the opportunity and the tools to express themselves through art. “We know art; the Alzheimer’s Association knows the illness. We’re forging a good

partnership,” said Michael Tomor, director of the El Paso Art Museum. “We studied the model developed at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, so we didn’t reinvent the wheel,” he explained. “MoMA did hundreds of studies on how to use art to reach people with Alzheimer’s.”

The incurable disease accounts for 50 percent to 75 percent of all dementia cases. Susie Gorman, the regional director of the West Texas Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association based in El Paso, is

enthusiastic about the collaboration. “We’re thrilled about the possibilities of promoting socialization through art,” she said. “Our job is to educate patients and family about the illness and refer them to the appropriate contacts. We also address legal situations and financial problems that arise.

Tomor added, “The importance of community collaboration can’t be overestimated.” Current research and programs show that looking at art, as well as making it, benefits those in the early stages of

Alzheimer’s. At present, “early” is often a misnomer, agreed experts at a recent workshop in El Paso. By the time symptoms are identified, most people are already in mid‐stage. More than 5 million people in the United States are living with the disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, and

a new case is diagnosed every 67 seconds. Work to develop the El Paso program started earlier this month during the two‐day workshop at the art museum. A panel discussion included local people who are involved in various aspects of art and Alzheimer’s. May Fisher, a program

specialist at the Houston museum, led an audience discussion that helped the El Paso team develop criteria for the program.

“By the end of the workshop, basics were in place to launch our plan,” Tomor said. “We learned several important things from our speakers. “First, our program here at the museum has to work, not only for the core group, but also for the institution offering it.