Art Therapy with Older Adults

A practical framework for art therapy with older adults

Focusing on empowerment and interpersonal connection, this book presents approaches to art therapy that increase older adults' sense of self-efficacy and encourage community engagement. With wide applications, it includes case studies from community, assisted living, skilled nursing, and dementia-care environments.

This book outlines a framework for art therapy with older adults rooted in a belief in the autonomy and self-efficacy of older adults, including those with dementia or other diseases of later life.

Advocating for a more collaborative approach to art-making, the author presents approaches and directives designed to facilitate community engagement, stimulate intellectual and emotional exploration, and promote a sense of individual and collective empowerment. Relevant to community, assisted living, skilled nursing and dementia-care environments, it includes detailed case studies and ideas for using art therapy to tackle stigma around stroke symptoms and dementia, encourage increased interactions between older adults in care homes, promote resilience, and much more.