Art ‘speaks’ for Alzheimer’s Orange County families and individuals through Memories in the Making program
When Carol Albright’s late husband, Russ, was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment in 2015, his neurologist encouraged them to attend the Early Memory Loss class at Alzheimer’s Orange County.
The organization, based in Irvine, provides support to Orange County families and individuals effected by Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
“I fought it for a while,” said Albright, who has a background working with seniors. “Finally I caved in and called, and we went through a six-week intro program and then we were invited to the all the activities.”
Memories in the Making, the signature art program of Alzheimer’s Orange County, was among those activities, and the art class made an impression on the couple.
“The art was wonderful for him. It was his favorite program,” Albright said.
Memories in the Making was created in 1988 to provide meaningful activity for persons with dementia, while focusing on creative expression as a form of communication. Often the disease can affect language, and art can become a more suitable form of expression, a way for those with dementia to “speak.”
Russ Albright used art to express himself throughout his life. He taught high school drafting and later in life took up sculpting after seeing a piece in a gallery that he wanted to buy but couldn’t afford.
Today his sculptures fill Albright’s Irvine home.
“He did all of these stone sculptures; they are different colors of alabaster,” said Albright.
Russ sold his sculptures in galleries in Laguna Beach and Palm Springs during his lifetime.
“These are the ones that didn’t sell, believe it or not,” Albright said of the collection in her home.
Eventually a bad back and arthritis prevented Russ from sculpting, but he continued making art thanks to Alzheimer’s Orange County’s art program.
“Memories in the Making was a nice outlet for him. He couldn’t do sculpting anymore, but he loved painting,” said Albright. “And he was with a community of people he could relate to.”
Although Russ had an art background, art experience isn’t required for Memories in the Making participants.
“When I am leading a session I am creating an atmosphere that allows the artist to be free to play,” said Ben Allen, programs and education specialist at Alzheimer’s Orange County and Memories in the Making coordinator.
While there is a structure to the class, Allen said facilitators will use techniques to help individuals get started, whatever their ability.
“There are ways to help people without doing it for them,” said Allen. “We’ll have an image, typically from a calendar, and we’ll find an image that they connect with, even if they are nonverbal, their eyes light up … Overall, it is a way to engage someone who has Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia.”
In fact, Allen said he has heard and experienced many stories of connection during his five years of facilitating that were made through art when other forms of communication had begun to fail.
“One example that comes to mind, is an artist who would paint the same scene every week and the facilitator wondered, ‘What is this?’ ” said Allen.
The facilitator talked to the adult daughter about what her father was painting, and she knew the scene that was being described.
“That’s my parents’ honeymoon,” she said.
Allen said in many ways the classes are also for the families because they get to share and learn things about their artists.
“The benefits for the care partners are huge,” Allen said.
Classes are held in person at various care facilities and host sites and also virtually on Zoom. They generally use watercolors, Allen said, because they are nontoxic.
Some paintings created in the program are submitted for entry into art exhibitions. An upcoming exhibit featuring work from Memories in the Making will take place at Main Place Mall in Santa Ana on April 30.
Besides art classes, Alzheimer’s Orange County also provides support groups, workshops and other resources including a help line staffed by social workers. Albright said she and her late husband benefited from support groups offered by the organization.
“Even though Russ was very shy, he became more comfortable talking with other people about his struggles and expressing his feelings. He also learned techniques to help him cope with his declining memory,” Albright said. “For me, I learned so much from others in the group and was able to provide support to others.”
Russ has since passed away, but Albright continues to paint with Memories in the Making, often sitting in the same spot Russ would to paint.
“I love the art sessions. Listening to nice music and focusing on the painting has been so relaxing. I’ve so appreciated all the care and support that I’ve received from all the staff.”
Albright has become a volunteer art facilitator with Memories in the Making.
“I have only done it once because they closed the program down,” she chuckled, referring to the pandemic shutting down in-person classes. She plans to continue volunteering now that classes have resumed. She also hopes to help people connect through art the way she and Russ did.
“He used art to express his feelings, and that became what happened with the painting later on,” said Albright. “That was how I saw into his soul.”
Learn more about Memories in the Making at alzoc.org.
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