Alzheimer's patients try art therapy
MISSION - Tina Menchaca wasn't sure what to expect from the residents of The Bridges.
The owner of Made By U in McAllen, Menchaca has hosted numerous parties for rowdy elementary-schoolers since she bought the paint-your-own pottery store last month. But she didn't know how to handle a group of adults who suffer from confusion and dementia.
"It's a lot easier than I thought," Menchaca said as she laughed with several of the facility's residents Wednesday. In fact, she said, it was fun.
Trepidation is common among visitors to the assisted living center, which caters to patients with Alzheimer's disease. Residents are in various stages of memory and cognitive impairment, and their minds can range.
Patients in advanced stages of the disease may sit still and stare, or wander the halls with dolls and other comforting objects.
Mary Hidrojo, a full-time caretaker for one of the center's residents, said she wanted to run far away the first day she showed up for work there, enclosed with adults who sometimes act aggressively or irrationally in their confusion.
"I knew how to take care of people, but not about this illness," she said.
"At first I was upset. Now I know it's a nice place for them."
The pottery-painting project was the first collaboration between the facility and Made By U, but Bridges administrator Lily Leal said it will likely join the regular rotation of activities that fill residents' days at the center.
"We're always looking for stuff to keep them entertained," she said. "It cuts down on the agitation and confusion."
Art has been used as therapy for Alzheimer's patients elsewhere, with emphasis on completing projects over several sessions, Leal said. Her facility also has a small stable of animals for residents to care for and interact with, as well as a salon that sets, curls and cuts residents' hair.
Ethel Hensley, 88, was less than pleased with her final product Wednesday but said she enjoyed painting a ceramic frog green and brown alongside friends at the home.
"We always have fun in here," she said. "We're cutups when you get us together."
