집단미술치료가 치매 노인의 자기표현에 미치는 효과

Abstract

This is a case study on group art therapy for people with mild dementia who are 65 years of age or older. The purpose of the art therapy was to help them recover mental health and concentration. The study is based on theories of senile dementia, Yalom's theory of group art therapy, and Rogers' humanistic theory. Study subjects were eight elderly people in a day-care facility of a welfare center in Seoul. Art therapy was administered once a week for 24 weeks. Throughout the period their activities and behavior changes were observed and analyzed every session. The art therapy program for elderly people with mild dementia was composed of five phases:introduction, early, middle, late, and termination phase. Activities of each session were planned and organized to induce reciprocal interest and encourage interaction among the group members. Twenty-four sessions of the therapy were analyzed in order to observe the changes that occurred during the program. According to the observations, there was an improvement in depression and isolation. The characteristics of behavior before and after the therapy were compared. Behavioral changes were found to have occurred. The elderly people with mild dementia who had suffered from depression, isolation, and low self-esteem, and had had the opportunity of identifying and expressing their own feelings and of being supported and encouraged by others, gradually acquired a positive attitude and showed significant differences in their relationships and interactions with others in the group.