Gurwin Residents' Artwork Debuts For Alzheimer's Awareness Month

From Gurwin Jewish ~ Fay J. Lindner Residences Assisted Living: Artwork from five residents of Gurwin Jewish ~ Fay J. Lindner Residences assisted living community has been chosen for showcase in the 2017 Through Our Eyes exhibition at the Long Island Museum in Stony Brook, NY. The unique program is designed to provide mental stimulation and social engagement for people with memory loss and their care partners. The exhibit runs from November 16th through December 5th in the Carriage Museum’s Gillespie Room.

Through Our Eyes is an annual exhibition and an extension of the museum’s In the Moment program, developed with the nationally recognized Meet Me at MoMA program in New York City and the Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Stony Brook University Medical Center. Participants are able to connect with the artwork on display, gain a sense of importance, and share and relay memories, unique experiences for many of the participants, who “rarely speak otherwise” according to one care partner.

Piloted in 2011, the program has served more than 1000 participants. “Each year’s exhibition brings a slightly different approach,” explained Lisa Unander, LIM’s Director of Education. For the Gurwin artists featured in the 2017 program, “art has been a major passion of theirs throughout their lives and not just something they have come to enjoy in their later years.” She added, “Working with the challenges that often present during the aging process such as memory loss has not diminished their artistic drive.”

According to Susan Fliss, Recreation Aide and Art Program Director at Gurwin, "The artists in this exhibit have all participated in our growing art program since joining Gurwin’s community. For some it is the only group activity in which they participate, which can be attributed to their love of painting. Each

artist was creating one form of artwork or another in their younger years, and now all have embraced painting as their favorite form of expression. Our program encourages individualism and creativity; residents draw inspiration from photos, still life arrangements and from Gurwin’s lush landscaped grounds. Their artwork allows not only for self-expression, but also vital socialization.”

Through Our Eyes features approximately 26 of the residents’ pieces, a combination of older and more recent works. According to Lisa, “The exhibition is a retrospective of sorts that promotes how art has been a vital part of the artists’ lives, from childhood through adulthood. It reinforces that art is an essential part of each person, and can be a source of enrichment and engagement.”

About Gurwin Jewish ~ Fay J. Lindner Residences

Gurwin Jewish ~ Fay J. Lindner Residences is a 201-apartment assisted living community located in Commack, Long Island, offering elegant living in full, private apartments, including a secure Enriched PathwaysTM memory care wing for those with cognitive issues such as dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease. Gurwin’s community promotes an active lifestyle including theatre, art and exercise programs, as well as wellness programs, and offers three delicious meals daily. It is part of the Gurwin Family of Healthcare services, which includes the 5-Star rated nursing & rehabilitation center, a memory care unit, an award-winning medical adult day care program and a social adult day care program, two home care programs and a proposed independent living community, all on a 67-acre campus in Commack. For information call 631.715.8537 or visit www.gurwin.org. Follow Gurwin on Facebook at bit.ly.GurwinAssistedLiving and Twitter (@GurwinJewish).

About the Long Island Museum

Located in Stony Brook, the Long Island Museum is a Smithsonian affiliate, dedicated to American history and art with a Long Island connection. For information about other exhibitions and programs please call 631.751.0066 or visit www.longislandmuseum.org.

Image courtesy of Gurwin Jewish ~ Fay J. Lindner Residences