Program uses poetry to help people with dementia connect

The Alzheimer’s Association Hudson Valley Chapter is offering a special three-session creative arts program for people with dementia and their family caregivers this fall. Something for Alz: Poetry for Connection and Reflection will be led by Mary Farkas, a licensed creative arts therapist with a practice in Beacon. The sessions will be held via Zoom from 11 a.m. to noon on three consecutive Wednesdays, Sept. 23, Sept. 30 and Oct. 7.

“I’ve been working with older adults and their loved ones for almost 15 years,” she said. “It’s a deep love of mine, and I have always found that finding ways to emphasize communication and self-expression is essential. I’ve found a way to use poetry as a tool for self-expression, to help people communicate some of their thoughts and feelings.”

Describing her technique, she said, “It’s analogous to the work of Dr. Ann Basting, who created the TimeSlips program. It draws a lot from the ideas of TimeSlips and group process healing and including everyone’s response,” she said. The TimeSlips website says it uses creative activities to help people with memory loss become more engaged with the world around them.

While poetry might seem intimidating and inaccessible to some, Farkas said her activity requires no literary expertise.

“I think that people sometimes think of poetry as something that’s intellectual and only for a small group of people. I’d like to combat that idea,” Farkas said. “You don’t have to love poetry; you don’t have to feel you are an expert in poetry. It’s about coming and being with your loved ones and being together with a group.”

Farkas also said verbal ability is not necessary to benefit from the process.

“I believe very much that if you’ve met one person with Alzheimer’s disease, you have not met them all. They are not all the same. There is a way the words in poetry can become a safe space for all of us,” she said.

She said the process involves her reading a poem to the group, then inviting participants to react to it by reading it back or in whatever way they can.

“What we’ll do is use a poem as a jumping-off point. I imagine sharing the Zoom screen with the words so people can see it. I want to make it as accessible as possible. I’ll invite everyone in the group to read it back, and then we’ll go from there. Often, I’ll ask people, what did they hear? What was meaningful to them? Was there a favorite line? They’ll start to read their favorite lines, and if that’s too much, I’ll ask them to read a favorite word.”

She said all levels of reaction are welcome.

“I had a woman who would just sing one note in her response to poetry. She was mostly post-verbal, and I would reflect that in the poem, and when I read it back to her, she would smile, and I knew from her facial expression that she knew it was my way of connecting with her,” she said.

Once everyone has contributed, Farkas creates a new poem incorporating their responses.

“I’ve never created a group poem that I didn’t think was beautiful, because people are genuine,” and it is always moving,” she said.

She said she often uses Mary Oliver’s poetry for the starting-off point.

“The reason I use Mary Oliver’s poetry so much is that it is so real, so grounded and so truthful. And I love that she wrote until late in her life. She is such an inspiration,” she said. “One of the things about Mary Oliver that is so amazing is that she was deeply honest in her poetry. A lot of it was about the aging process. Her poetry is such a beautiful example of what it is to be honest and communicate clearly.”

Apart from being fun in itself, the experience can also improve communication for caregivers and loved ones with dementia.

“It’s about the process of creating, and people — especially caregivers and care partners — have a chance to see what is going on inside their loved one. Often, we don’t stop and sit together to think about our underlying thoughts, and this is a way to welcome that into the space. And maybe saying it through the poem is a little safer than saying it directly. The beauty of a group is you’ll get to see that other people are hearing what you are saying. That’s especially important for people with memory loss, to remind everyone of our shared experience.”

To register for Something for Alz: Poetry for Connection and Reflection, call the Alzheimer’s Association at 800.272.3900 or click here.

About the Hudson Valley Chapter

The Hudson Valley Chapter serves families living with dementia in seven counties in New York, including Duchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester. To learn more about the programs and services offered locally, visit alz.org/hudsonvalley.

About the Alzheimer’s Association

The Alzheimer’s Association leads the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Its vision is a world without Alzheimer’s and all dementia. Visit alz.org.