Dementia
Conditions
Keywords
self esteem, caregiver, art therapy
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of a 4-week art therapy intervention on the relationships between individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and their care partners, on the self-esteem of diagnosed individuals, and on care partner attitudes towards persons with Alzheimer's disease.
Detailed description
The aim is to develop and implement an art therapy intervention for dyads - each consisting of an individual diagnosed with mild Alzheimer's disease and his/her care partner - with the goals of improving patients' and care partners' sense of their relationship, increasing patients' self-esteem and improving care partner attitudes towards individuals with Alzheimer's disease. The specific intervention will be a portrait-making project utilizing a collage approach. Each participant (i.e. diagnosed individuals and care partners) will be instructed to create a portrait of him/herself. Participants will be provided with a sample portrait as well as bins of materials (e.g. words, images, markers). The intervention will be administered for 1 ½ hours weekly, at the same day/time, for 4 consecutive weeks.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALArt Therapy
Dyads will take part in a portrait-making project utilizing a collage approach. Each participant (i.e. dementia diagnosed individuals and care partners) will be instructed to create a portrait of him/herself. Participants will be provided with a sample portrait as well as bins of materials. \]The intervention will be administered for 1 ½ hours weekly, at the same day/time, for 4 consecutive weeks.
Sponsors
James R. and Helen D. Russell Center for Research and Innovation
Wake Forest University Health Sciences
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
for patients include: * A diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, based on the NIA/AA Diagnostic Guidelines for Alzheimer's Disease (McKhann et al., 2011) * MMSE of 18-26, inclusive, administered within 6 month prior to screening or at screening * Awareness of diagnosis and/or memory impairment, as determined by semi-structured interview with clinician (see Appendix B) * Availability and willingness to participate in all 4 sessions of the intervention * A care partner with whom the patient has regular weekly contact and who is available and willing to participate in all 4 sessions of the intervention * Sufficient visual acuity to read 12-point font * Sufficient manual dexterity to use scissors * Ability to hear instructions in a classroom setting * Ability to read English * Age 18 years old or greater
Exclusion criteria
for patients include: * Any uncontrolled medical or neurological/neurodegenerative condition (other than AD) that, in the opinion of the Investigator, might be a contributing cause of the subject's cognitive impairment (e.g., substance abuse, vitamin B12 deficiency, abnormal thyroid function, stroke or other cerebrovascular condition, Lewy body dementia, fronto-temporal dementia, head trauma). * Current active psychiatric illness (e.g., major depression, schizophrenia, etc.) * Current active seizure disorder. * Malignancy or carcinoma currently requiring active treatment or progressing off of treatment. * Recent history (within 1 year) of alcohol abuse or drug abuse. * Active tobacco use that interferes with visits (e.g., if the patient would need to smoke during the therapy session). * Use of medications (e.g., narcotics, sedatives, etc.) that lead to drowsiness during the therapy sessions * Inability to comply with the instructions of the art therapist. * Other unspecified reasons that, in the opinion of the Investigator make the subject unsuitable for enrollment. * Prisoners Inclusion criteria for care partners include: * Adult 18 years of age or older * Ability to consent * Regular weekly contact with the subject diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease * Availability and willingness to participate in all 4 sessions of the intervention * Sufficient visual acuity to read 12-point font * Sufficient manual dexterity to use scissors * Ability to hear instructions in a classroom setting * Ability to read English
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Impact of Art Therapy on Quality of Dyadic Relationship | Week 1 | Impact of art therapy on quality of dyadic relationship will be determined using the Dyadic Relationship Scale. The survey consists of 10 questions with a total score range of 10-40. The score is a measure of patient and care partner perceptions of their relationship. Lower scores indicate the perception of a poorer relationship (i.e. greater strain, lower positive interactions) and higher scores indicate a perceived better relationship (i.e. lower strain, greater positive interactions). |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Impact of Art Therapy on Dementia Individuals' Self-esteem | Week 1 | The impact of art therapy on the dementia diagnosed individuals' self-esteem will be determined by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. The survey consists of 10 questions with a total score range of 0-30. The score is a measure of patient self-esteem, with lower scores meaning lower self-esteem and higher scores meaning higher self-esteem. |
| Impact of Art Therapy on Dementia Individuals' Sense of Stigma | Week 1 | The impact of art therapy on diagnosed individuals' sense of stigma will be determined by the Stigma Impact Scale. The survey consists of 20 questions with a total score range of 0-80. The score is a measure of the patient's perception of stigma, with lower scores indicating lower perceived stigma and higher scores indicating greater perceived stigma. |
| Impact of Art Therapy on Care Partner Attitudes Towards Persons with Dementia | Week 1 | The impact of art therapy on care partner attitudes towards persons with dementia will be determined by the Dementia Attitudes Scale. The survey consists of 20 questions with a total score range of 20-140. The score is a measure of care partner attitudes towards patients with dementia. Lower scores indicate lower knowledge and social comfort with persons with dementia and a higher score indicates greater knowledge and social comfort with persons with dementia. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed