Expressive Arts Programming for Older Adults Both with and Without Disabilities: An Opportunity for Inclusion

IntroductionEarly non-pharmacological interventions can prevent cognitive decline in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Creative expression (CrExp) can potentially mitigate cognitive decline and enhance the physical and mental health of older people. However, it is unclear whether activities involving CrExp can improve cognitive function and other health-related outcomes in older adults with MCI. The aim of the present study is to develop a Creative Expressive Arts-based Storytelling (CrEAS) programme that integrates verbal and non-verbal expressive activities and evaluate its effectiveness in improving cognitive function and other outcome indicators so as to explore its possible mechanism from the perspective of neuroimaging.Methods and analysisThis parallel randomised controlled trial with three arms (one intervention and two control arms) will be conducted over a 24-week period. A total of 111 participants will be enrolled and randomised to the CrEAS, recreation and usual activity groups. The CrEAS programme combines visual arts therapy and storytelling (TimeSlips) under the Expressive Therapy Continuum theoretical framework and provides an opportunity for people with MCI to actively engage in activities to improve cognitive function through verbal and nonverbal CrExp. Global cognitive function, specific domains of cognition (memory, executive function, language and attention) and other health-related outcomes (anxiety, depression and quality of life) will be measured at baseline, at the end of the intervention, and at the 24-week follow-up. Structural/functional brain MRI data will be collected at baseline and immediately after the intervention.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of Fujian Provincial Hospital (K2018-03-061). The study results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and at academic conferences.Trial registration numberChiCTR1900021526.

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At the Confluence of Memory and Meaning—Life Review With Older Adults and Families: Using Narrative Therapy and the Expressive Arts to Re-member and Re-author Stories of Resilience

The Family Journal ◽

10.1177/1066480704273338 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 172-175 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Rebecca L. Caldwell

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Narrative Therapy ◽

Life Review ◽

Expressive Arts

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Therapeutic Thematic Arts Programming for Older Adults, by L. L. Madori

Activities Adaptation & Aging ◽

10.1080/01924780802144046 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 32 (2) ◽

pp. 160-161

Author(s):

Marcia Jean Carter

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Arts Programming

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A pilot study of spiritual reminiscence programme using expressive Arts therapy for the older adults with mild cognitive impairment staying in nursing home

10.5353/th_991043984996703414 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Yuen-wai, Vennus Ho

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Nursing Home ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Expressive Arts ◽

Expressive Arts Therapy

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Uses of therapeutic thematic arts programming, TTAP Method©, for enhanced cognitive and psychosocial functioning in the geriatric population

American Journal of Recreation Therapy ◽

10.5055/ajrt.2009.0005 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 25-31

Author(s):

Linda Levine-Madori, PhD, CTRS, ATR-BC, LCAT

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Psychosocial Functioning ◽

Adult Population ◽

Neural Regeneration ◽

Culturally Competent ◽

Geriatric Population ◽

Pilot Studies ◽

Cornell University ◽

Older Adult Population ◽

Arts Programming

Currently, there is a need for strength-based recreation therapy approaches which promote the retention of skills and abilities of the growing older adult population. This article introduces an emerging multimodal intervention: Therapeutic Thematic Arts Programming for Older Adults (TTAP Method©), an approach that provides stimulation to three distinct brain systems, encouraging brain wellness and neural regeneration, thereby providing a viable means for enhancing cognitive functioning in older adults. Research on TTAP Method© efficacy is currently being explored at Cornell University and previous pilot studies strongly indicate that the TTAP Method© may be an effective intervention for slowing the progression of mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease. TTAP Method© is person centered and culturally competent, and engages a variety of creative activities.

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Cognitive control constrains memory attributions

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x19001869 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 42 ◽

Author(s):

Colleen M. Kelley ◽

Larry L. Jacoby

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Older Adults ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Traumatic Brain Injury ◽

Brain Injury ◽

Cognitive Control

Abstract Cognitive control constrains retrieval processing and so restricts what comes to mind as input to the attribution system. We review evidence that older adults, patients with Alzheimer's disease, and people with traumatic brain injury exert less cognitive control during retrieval, and so are susceptible to memory misattributions in the form of dramatic levels of false remembering.

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Cognitive Load Affects Speech Motor Performance Differently in Older and Younger Adults

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/2018_jslhr-s-17-0222 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 62 (5) ◽

pp. 1258-1277 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Megan K. MacPherson

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Load ◽

Motor Performance ◽

Age Groups ◽

Incongruent Condition ◽

Sentence Production ◽

Movement Duration ◽

Production Task ◽

Younger Adults ◽

Speech Motor

PurposeThe aim of this study was to determine the impact of cognitive load imposed by a speech production task on the speech motor performance of healthy older and younger adults. Response inhibition, selective attention, and working memory were the primary cognitive processes of interest.MethodTwelve healthy older and 12 healthy younger adults produced multiple repetitions of 4 sentences containing an embedded Stroop task in 2 cognitive load conditions: congruent and incongruent. The incongruent condition, which required participants to suppress orthographic information to say the font colors in which color words were written, represented an increase in cognitive load relative to the congruent condition in which word text and font color matched. Kinematic measures of articulatory coordination variability and movement duration as well as a behavioral measure of sentence production accuracy were compared between groups and conditions and across 3 sentence segments (pre-, during-, and post-Stroop).ResultsIncreased cognitive load in the incongruent condition was associated with increased articulatory coordination variability and movement duration, compared to the congruent Stroop condition, for both age groups. Overall, the effect of increased cognitive load was greater for older adults than younger adults and was greatest in the portion of the sentence in which cognitive load was manipulated (during-Stroop), followed by the pre-Stroop segment. Sentence production accuracy was reduced for older adults in the incongruent condition.ConclusionsIncreased cognitive load involving response inhibition, selective attention, and working memory processes within a speech production task disrupted both the stability and timing with which speech was produced by both age groups. Older adults' speech motor performance may have been more affected due to age-related changes in cognitive and motoric functions that result in altered motor cognition.

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