Art speaks when words fade

The theme of this conference is nicely stated on this somewhat rumpled sign outside the Emily Carr Art Institute where the meetings were held: art speaks when words fade. Another interesting detail on this sign is the sponsorship by Canada Post, the Canadian postal service which gave about $20,000 to support the meeting. Astonishingly, this organization has selected "mental health and dementia" to be the focus of its charitable giving. It matches employee contributions and gives 5% in addition to support groups that address these issues. The head of their community outreach area give a brief talk yesterday, speaking simply and movingly about the need to talk about mental health issues and move beyond stigma.

Today began with the woman I was assigned to room with giving a brilliant lecture on the politics of drug trials, especially for drugs like Aricept. She's a medical anthropologist and it was fascinating to hear her analysis of the design of clinical trials. Another wonderful talk was by Peter Spitzer, a physician from Australia, whose been a "clown doctor" for 25 years. He showed a moving video clip of his work to bring humor into medical settings where laughter is rare, but can be so healing. He's put together a very good program, starting in children's hospitals, then moving to palliative care units, and now to nursing homes. Ruth Bright, a 79 year old music therapist, also from Australia gave a lovely talk, and illustrated it by playing some short pieces on the piano (she usually uses a piano squeeze box but it was too bulky to bring on the plane). She's incredibly sharp and lively and is still working in nursing homes. We all got to sing "Waltzing Matilda"! Hilary Lee, another impressive Aussie, is organizing a chapter of the Society for Art in Dementia Care in Perth and has worked tirelessly this year to get it going; the last Australian to speak was a dear young art therapist who grew up in Malaysia and now works in a nursing home in Adelaide. (The picture shows the Australians: Ruth, Hilary, Peter, and Katherine.)

I don't know exactly what the outcome of all of this will be for me professionally, but I definitely feel like I've met some people who will continue to matter in my life. Even if I don't see them again, and only correspond by email, it's good to know they're out there, committed to a new model of dementia care that recognizes all the surprising and wonderful ways persons with memory loss can express themselves through the arts.