Program helps Alzheimer's patients

Roland Russell’s framed artwork hangs proudly on display above his computer for everyone to see.

“He’s so proud of it — he shows it to anybody that comes in the house,” Roland’s wife, Dorothy, said.

Roland, 79, is not a typical artist — he is one of the 5.3 million people in the U.S. that have Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. He has recently been participating in an Orlando Museum of Art program designed to help seniors and caregivers affected by the disease.

The Art’s the Spark program began in January to give seniors in the early and middle stages of Alzheimer’s disease the chance to experience fine art in a comfortable environment, and has been successfully stimulating the minds of many ever since.

“We heard about this program and thought we’d give it a try,” Dorothy said. “We had no idea if he would be able to relate… but he absolutely loves it and I do too.”

Russell was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s six years ago, and although he is still self-sufficient, he suffers from short-term memory loss, which is why it is important to his wife to keep his mind as active as possible.

Dorothy said since she has been participating in the program, he now views art differently and pays attentions to it wherever he might be.

“We were in the doctor’s office the other day, and he was looking at the paintings and talking about them,” she said. “It has opened up an area of his brain that I hadn’t even thought was there.”

OMA Associate Curator of Adult Education Jan Clanton said the program gives seniors an opportunity to be treated as adults.

“We don’t want to just take them back to painting or coloring; we want to give them discussion groups,” she said.

OMA is the first museum in the state to provide this program, which addresses two senior populations — those who have already been diagnosed with memory loss and their healthy caregivers, Clanton said.

The program offers a free private tour of the museum one Saturday morning per month — the next tour is 10-11:30 a.m. Sept. 11 — with their loved ones. OMA is closed to the public during this time, and activities for seniors and refreshments for caregivers are held following the tour.

“The participants are all treated the same, and we go in and look at paintings and discuss them; it doesn’t require any short-term memory, so all those wonderful deep-seeded long-term memories locked inside their heads come out,” Clanton said. “It has been the most rewarding experience.”

Sutton Homes Assisted Living Activities Coordinator Mary Freelove, who brings seniors suffering from Alzheimer’s to Art’s the Spark, said the residents love the program.

“They do a lot of reminiscing and always have stories to tell about what the paintings remind them of,” Freelove said.

Sutton Homes Administrator Joy Bell agreed that the program has been a very positive experience for her residents.

“It really gets their memories going,” she said.

As the program continues to grow, it also searches for more funding, in hopes that it can continue to rekindle memories locked inside many minds and preserve connections made.

“I had no idea there were so many people that have had this or been affected by [Alzheimer’s],” Roland said. “It’s changed my world and opened my eyes to a lot of things … and it helps to know you are not alone.”

Learn more

The Orlando Museum of Art’s program Art’s the Spark is free and held from 10-11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11

(Innovations in Modern Art), Oct. 9 (People in Art) and Oct. 23 (American Lifestyles).

For more information or to register, call 407-896-4231 extension 262 or visit www.omart.org.

Pre-registration is required.