Involvement in arts activities can help dementia patients de-stress, energize, learn new skills and experience fewer memory problems, according to the UK organization Arts 4 Dementia and a report in Limelight magazine. The study, soon to be published as Reawakening the Mind, involved 41 Alzheimer's and dementia patients aged 66 to 91 who took part in music, dance, poetry and visual arts classes. The findings of the study suggest that arts participation can improve functioning of the brain and general quality of life for people in the early stages of dementia, according to Arts 4 Dementia Chief Executive Veronica Franklin Gould. "Once dementia has set in, the creative part of the brain can continue to function for many more years and artistic stimulation is a powerful, sociable way to open up communication channels," Gould said. Read More: Arts Proven to Combat Alzheimer's (Limelight)
Jennifer Hambrick unites her extensive backgrounds in the arts and media and her deep roots in Columbus to bring inspiring music to central Ohio as Classical 101’s midday host. Jennifer performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago before earning a Ph.D. in musicology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.