When Art Comes From the Heart
01 APR 2015

When Art Comes From the Heart

Art Therapy Story Spotlight image

Some of the silver-haired artists have lost their ability to speak, and their memories are a blur or have disappeared altogether. But, as they bend intently over their latest project, one thing is clear: they can still communicate with a paint brush and paint.  

These artists are participants at the NorthBay Adult Day Center, a program for those with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. It’s Solano County’s only full day adult respite program, and program organizers aim to keep participants socially engaged through an array of activities. On this particular Friday morning, about 20 of them are working on an art project, under the direction of Bahram Khamjani, of Art Healing for Seniors. 

Bahram and his wife, Jaleh Alavi, organize therapeutic art classes at senior centers, nursing homes and adult day centers from Sacramento to San Francisco. The art therapists have been coming to the NorthBay Adult Day Center since last year, thanks to a grant from Genentech.  

They practice a form of art therapy that is beneficial not only for those who have Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia, Bahram says, but for those who suffer from depression, brain injuries or chronic illness. Art therapy offers several key benefits, including stress reduction, physical and emotional stimulation, improvement of motor and cognitive skills, and mood-boosting socialization.  

On this day, classical music plays quietly in the background, setting the mood for creativity. 

The project is to paint a picture of a fish, and before each artist Bahram has set out a palette of colorful paints and an outline of the fish pasted to a stand. He then moves from table to table, encouraging each to be as creative as they wish.  

“Art is medicine, and food for the soul,” Bahram says. “The soul needs to be fed, too, and all side effects are positive.” 

Ardeen has eagerly taken up the assignment and begins filling in between the lines with vivid hues.  

“I used to paint lawn art,” she explains. Across the table, Julia doesn’t say a word but meticulously colors in her painting with many tiny dots. “That’s actually one of the oldest painting techniques, dating back many thousands of years,” Bahram explains.

Some of the participants need a little help, and activity aides are right there to provide it. “Viney likes painting, but she needs a little help filling her brush,” says Ampee Lauriano, activity aide, sitting at her side.  

“It’s very therapeutic and they really seem to enjoy it a lot,” says Doreen Savage, activity coordinator. “The music is very soothing and when Bahram is here it gives the staff more time to interact with our participants.” 

After the NorthBay Adult Day Center received the grant from Genentech, they contracted with Bahram to come to the center on Friday mornings. The projects he brings range from painting in watercolors, oils or acrylics, to drawing with chalk, pencil and crayon. Other projects include clay and Play-Doh sculptures, and creating collages using paper and cardboard. “Art is freedom and pure self-expression; there is no right or wrong,” he says. 

“We want them to just enjoy the process.”

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