Aphasia Clients and Zentangles

I have written before about my over 20 years of volunteer work at the York Durham Aphasia Centre. Details are here,  here and here. 

Every year I choose a new famous person for the clients to work on upside down. This year I decided that the Queen Mother would be our "lady of the year". She was an amazing woman always with a smile and a very kind face. This is my version of her for clients to draw upside down. It is from a picture of her when she was in her late 90's and I loved all the wrinkles  and her beautiful round face.

The clients are great sports.... think I am a little crazed but they try what I suggest with amazing results. I also introduced them to my newest obsession [one lady with limited speech when I said I was going to tell them about my new obsession blurted out "oh no" .... so funny]. Zentangles at the Aphasia Centre in Newmarket was a big hit. They even took 3 sheets of "homework" with them to work on over the next month. 

I am by no means an expert on Zentangles but look upon them as organized doodles. At the Aphasia Centre I have the clients use doodling as a way to tap into the right brain and stimulate the brain. When I was researching  my new obsession I ran across articles about how Zentangling stimulates both the right and left brain.... perfect for people with brain injuries. MRI's show us that if part of the brain is damaged the rest of the brain reorganizes and starts compensating for the damaged area with varying results. Anything that stimulates the brain can create these new pathways over time so why not Zentangles and the bonus is you have fun.

The clients last week were tired after the "Zens" but very enthusiastic. I am anxious to see their homework results.

Contact me if you want any information about these programs.

Happy Friday

Beautiful morning in Southern Ontario.
I have never been a fan of the return to structured life that happens this time of year.

I love summer and the wonderful hot lazy days. This summer has been exceptional for me, lots of heat and sunshine.

While I go back to structure kicking and screaming once it happens I am happy to get back to my routine.  Spent yesterday with my art group and will be seeing another group this weekend. the highlight of my week was Tuesday and Wednesday with the clients of the YorkDurham Aphasia Centre. It was Art for Communication days and they as always were amazing. 

Many of them brought their sketch books in to share. Part of my article for the YDAC newsletter

The Power of Art

Study after study has shown that brains can be retrained to adjust to the new realities after a brain injury. It is not just one thing that helps the brain but many different activities that might help. Of course each person is different and results are varied. Art for Communication is a monthly part of our program in Newmarket. Each month we go through a series of drawing exercises designed to stimulate the brain and exercise our muscles. The most important part is we have fun! By repetition we hope to create these new pathways. Drawing is also another tool to communicate. The more we draw the more comfortable we all feel drawing.  

Last month each client and volunteer in the Wednesday afternoon program received a sketch book from the dollar store to take home. They could draw anything; the only rule was that it must be in pen. The “homework” was due on the next art day. People were so pleased with what they had accomplished that they brought them before art during the month to show everyone. WOW. 

We were all amazed at everyone’s work. I doesn’t matter what is on the page but that they are working hard at retraining their brain by drawing and doodling. Now the Tuesday programs also have books and their “homework”. All of the books will be brought in to share on our next art day. 

I am so excited to see all these books. They are truly wonderful pieces of work, every single page.

More information about the art program can be found here 

Remember that most of these people they are using their non dominant hand, have never drawn before and would have never even considered trying any kind of art. They are very brave!

one person wrote a story with pictures

The courage that everyone that I have met with Aphasia can be summed up by this video of Gabby Gifford last night. 

Have a beautiful Day.

Ozzy-it's not easy being green

My cats love to help me paint. They love the music and the places to poke around in my studio space. They do not go in there unless I am working. 

Today I was cleaning 20 palettes and adding paint for the Aphasia Centre's Art for Communication program next week when Ozzy decided to help by jumping into the wet watercolour paint. One white cat with red and green fur, feet, stomach and face! 

 

An emergency bath and he is good as new [stomach fur had a slight green tinge, actually decided to cut it out seemed easier than bathing him again]

Very glad it was watercolour paint and not acrylic!

Bob Hope

I volunteer as an Art for Communication facilitator at the York-Durham Aphasia Centre, part of March of Dimes Canada. More details about the program are here,  here and here. It is a program that I helped to develop and we have what I consider spectacular results. 

People who are living with Aphasia [a communication disorder after a stroke or brain injury] have many challenges looking for new ways to communicate, after all speaking is only one way to get a message across.The Art Program helps give them another tool for communication. We stress the process not the product. 

Each year I choose a face for them to draw upside down as a brain exercise. Last year it was Lucille Ball, the year before Elvis; we have draw Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln in the past. 
 
This year I decided on Bob Hope. In this complex world we live in it is nice to remember this wonderful entertainer. 


Thanks for the memories....
Bob Hope for 2012.

Lucy

I mentioned before I volunteer at the York-Durham Aphasia Centre. I do a program called Art for Communcation with clients in Newmarket. It is designed to develop drawing skills to help with communication for people with aphasia....ie if you can't say the word apple but you could draw an apple and get your message across

It is a step by step process to tap into your artistic side and remember these people are not artists. I have them do warm up exercises for the brain and then they copy a picture that I have drawn of a person. We do the same person for a whole year. In the past it has been Mona Lisa, Winston Churchill, Abe Lincoln, and last year Elvis

This year I have decided that Lucille Ball would be a great subject Client's will draw her upside down while music is playing so that they can tap into that right brain.

I Love Lucy!