DALLAS: Eyes downcast, head bowed, hands clasped and legs crossed; Eddie, an introverted wheelchair user, had been in a dementia skilled nursing home for a decade when he began sessions with arts charity Age Exchange.
“He wasn’t talking, and more or less stayed in this bound posture,” recalls Jill, the artist who worked with the 63-year-old. “He was very shy in making eye contact … His movements tended to be fast, eruptive and slightly aggressive and he found it very hard to engage in soft, slow movements.”
Over six weekly reminiscence arts sessions – work that explores memories using creative activity – Jill noticed how Eddie became “awake, sitting upright in his wheelchair, trying to talk, being better at regulating his mood and behaviour … He felt safe enough to allow himself to express some of these stored up energies and feelings through movement and making sounds which freed him and allowed him to start opening up and connecting with people.”
A simple gesture after the final session – previously unimaginable – reflected the transformation. Jill recalls: “I was very touched as we said goodbye; he extended his right hand towards me, I took it and we shook hands.”