People living with dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, are often socially isolated, at home or due to reduced mobility. This isolation accelerates cognitive decline and weakens self-esteem. ARTZ responds through guided museum visits and interactive online museum visits accessible from home. Accompanied by a trained volunteer or a family member, participants engage with high-quality artworks that stimulate cognition, encourage expression, restore social connection, and support dignity.
As the population ages and rates of dementia grow worldwide, stigma, invisibility and isolation are on the rise. Social exclusion restricts vital cultural connections. More than ever, community solutions to address these challenges require innovative programs that ensure persons with dementia are seen, respected and included. Contemplating the greatest masterpieces of art history represents a unique opportunity for people with dementia to discover the faculties that persist despite the disease.
The ARTZ methodology maintain relational skills, vocabulary richness and visual recognition abilities. It supports the implementation of compensation strategies to retrieve memories, to anchor new information in memory, to build reasoning and to continue to express oneself despite the lack of a word. Through museum visits, cognitive abilities are stimulated and decline is slowed. Caregivers benefit from free time and the opportunity to rediscover the person and preserve their relantionships.
Going Virtual, going global through Technology: In 2016, the association created a website offering virtual visits which permits people with Alzheimer's to experience visits at home, accompanied by a trained caregiver. Today, ARTZ helps 2000 people with dementia annually, our goal is to reach 6000 by 2026. Your support will dramatically expand the scope of the help brought by our association, even to those who are home-bound because of geographical, mobility, or other health challenges.
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