CHANGE THE WORLD POETRY PIE 1 stubborn poet. 1 lifetime of work. 1 billion minds. Simmer on low for a long time, stir gently, and change the world one mind at a time.
Change the World Poetry Pie—just one of the many recipes in Dementia Arts—provides the “ingredients” for making a difference in the lives of people with dementia by tapping into their creativity. Author Gary Glazner, founder of the Alzheimer’s Poetry Project (APP) and Institute for Dementia Education and Arts (IDEA) guides readers in using poetry and the arts to increase interaction and encourage amusement and joy in dementia care.
With a focus on demonstrating how anyone—not just poets or artists—can effortlessly incorporate creative verbal expression into activities of daily living (ADLs), this book emphasizes simple poetry techniques and how they can be combined with dance, exercise, music, storytelling, and visual art to facilitate a new and positive way of communicating with people in all stages of dementia.
Discover within these pages your inner creativity through
- simple tips for building a poetry session, including call and response, poems as discussion starters, incorporating props, and creating group poems
- specific guidelines and advice for creating poems as a caregiver
- joyful and creative poems and advice on selecting poems
- humorous and distinctive approaches to dementia care, from “The Ballad of the Happy Guitar” to “Gary’s Feel the Burn Poetry Party”
- creative ways to make ADLs more enjoyable using props, poems, movement, and song
- over 35 recipes of engaging activities that elicit smiles and laughter
Sprinkled throughout are delightful and touching anecdotes about using poetry as a caregiver, both in groups and one-on-one. Professional and family caregivers will discover the joy in poetry and the arts, and how easily and fully they can be employed to achieve positive results and inspire truly meaningful connections.
Exceptionally unique and easy to implement, Dementia Arts seeks to entertain, inspire, guide, and help family caregivers, as well as professionals in assisted living, long-term care, and adult day who want to support and enhance the lives of elders. Here is the recipe to communication success.
Administrator –
“…our grasp of language has a beginning in poetry. To see it used at a very different stage of life, and to such effect, was deeply moving.”
—Natasha Trethewey, U.S. Poet Laureate
Administrator –
“As an early supporter of the Alzheimer’s Poetry Project, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America is pleased to see how far Gary’s message of creative arts enrichment has spread over the years. This book will deliver that message even further, directly into the hands of both family caregivers and professionals so they can engage people with dementia. The timing is perfect: as the incidence of this brain disorder escalates, we are all searching for behavioral interventions to appropriately manage this disease. Gary presents the techniques in a down-to-earth, easy-to-implement style. By weaving his own storytelling and positive experiences into the book, Gary compels the reader to move forward into the world of the creative arts and offers a magical ‘recipe’ for success.”
—Carol Steinberg, President, Alzheimer’s Foundation of America
Administrator –
“In Dementia Arts: Celebrating Creativity in Elder Care, teaching artist/slam poet Gary Glazner has created a cook book of recipes to guide caregivers in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, memory care centers or their own homes. In so doing—while teaching us dementia-friendly communication skills—he helps us participate in building a better world. If you’re a caregiver of anyone—whether Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, people with physical disabilities, even healthy children— Glazner’s Dementia Arts: Celebrating Creativity in Elder Care is a must read and a must use.”
—Esther Altshul Helfgott, Ph.D., author of Dear Alzheimer’s: A Caregiver’s Diary & Poems (Cave Moon Press, 2013) and Listening to Mozart: Poems of Alzheimer’s (Cave Moon Press, 2014)
(https://blog.seattlepi.com/witnessingalzheimers/2014/05/09/dementia-arts-celebrating-creativity-in-elder-care-by-gary-glazner/)
Administrator –
“Gary Glazner gives us valuable lessons in in how to engage those with dementia using creativity and poetry. If you are open to having fun when caring for others, Dementia Arts: Celebrating Creativity in Elder Care can shift your care culture as you meet the needs of those you serve.”
—Lori La Bey, founder of http://www.AlzheimersSpeaks.com