Art Therapy for Seniors

Home Care Bridgehampton

Finding the right projects for seniors can be challenging, especially when a senior struggles with disabilities or challenges. Luckily, there are tons of art projects a senior can do that are therapeutic and easy to do. Learning to deal with emotions can be difficult for seniors, but art can help them express their feelings.

Whether you or home care help your senior loved one daily, there are art projects you can help your senior with or teach them to do on their own. Home care can be a good way to ensure someone watches your senior every day, and helps them stick to a routine that may include art therapy if a senior wishes. Here are some ideas to help you and your loved one get started.

Paint Emotions
This idea encourages older citizens to use art as a means of self-expression. Because they can channel their emotions directly into the canvas, they are more likely to be in the moment. This is perfect for a senior with a background in art or anyone who wants to learn. They can easily find a YouTube video teaching them how to draw or paint something that expresses how they’re feeling.

Pour Painting
Not all seniors have the patience to sit and draw out their feelings. Other seniors may not know how to draw or paint, and they don’t find it soothing. Pour painting can be happy in between! A senior can choose colors to represent their feelings and create designs by pouring them onto a canvas. There are different pouring techniques to research and learn about.

Try Sculpting
Buy or make some clay for your senior loved one, and let them mold something. Once they are done creating it, you can let it dry or bake it in the oven to let it firm. Making a sculpture that expresses intense feelings might help a senior carry many negative emotions, such as rage or despair. The sculpture will represent the feelings they’ve been experiencing.

Create a Lantern
A senior may literally let go of an unpleasant feeling or scenario by writing it down, tying it to a balloon or lantern, and sending it up into the sky. Do not confine it; instead, release it. And this may also be done with upbeat feelings to share joy. Another powerful option is to make a bonfire and have the seniors write down their regrets, and then burn the papers. There are biodegradable Chinese lanterns, which are perfect for your artwork.

Mosaic Art
Make a list of the challenges seniors face alongside them. They may put down on paper all the intense feelings they’re having and the dreadful things happening to them and the world. Then have them rip the list to shreds and use the fragments in a collage. Transforming a dreary subject into something aesthetically pleasing.

Create a Mood Board 
Creating a mood board may be useful for organizing one’s thoughts and focusing one’s attention. Seniors might create a mood board of their ideal day by sifting through old magazines and gluing together pictures and meaningful text. Then they may proudly display it in their living room. The purpose of this art therapy project is to assist the elderly in actively considering and recognizing what they value most. Constant exposure to the mood board will drive them to continually strive for the ideal state.

Make a Memory Jar Together
Making a memory jar is a fun art project that may provide you lasting joy. The elderly can have fun personalizing a simple jar and trimming down the blank paper into smaller pieces. Then, each day, they’re to take one of these note cards and jot down a beautiful, memorable, or joyful experience from their day. When they’re feeling down, they may read the notes from the jar and be reminded of all the good times they’ve had.

If you or an aging loved one are considering Home Care in Bridgehampton, NY, call the caring staff at Artful Home Care today at 631-685-5001.