Active Paintings. Design Project for a Portable Exhibition for People with Dementia or Cognitive Impairment

Portable exhibition composed by six stations, each of which represents a different painting, associated with amanual or cognitive activity designed for elderly people with dementia or cognitive impairment and their caregiver. Art was found to be an excellent therapy for various disorders, it helps to connect with one’s own creativity and inner self, to express our self in a non-verbal way, but equally (or more) effectively. For some categories of people unfortunately it is not easily accessible: this is the case of elderly people, in particular the ones with dementia or cognitive impairment. The project’s purpose is to bring art directly into retirement homes, to a group of people that usually has not the possibility to enjoy it and that, instead, would benefit a lot. This is possible also due to the development of specific activities, connected to every painting, that aim to exploit the residual abilities of the elderly with dementia and/or cognitive decay, to improve their general state of well-being.