Stumble It!
As reported by the Associated Press in today’s newspaper, the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City has started a free program called “Meet Me at MoMA” in order to give those with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers a place to visit together. They schedule the visits on Tuesdays when the museum is closed in order to provide a safe and peaceful environment. Other museums have similar programs in place, such as the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Bruce Museum of Arts and Science in Greenwich, Connecticut.
As an artist, this sounds like a great idea to me, especially for those in the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. It’s hard for visiting families to fill the time in meaningful ways, and this is one outing they might all enjoy.
I liked to take my father out as much as possible when he lived in an assisted living facility near me. I don’t know why I didn’t think of museums as a possibility then. The places I did take him always involved nature—a picnic near the lake, a walk in the gorge—he enjoyed watching the birds and ducks and children. He seemed especially tuned in to nature for some reason, as his short term memory got worse and worse.
Dad liked music, too, and eating out, though he didn’t have the patience to do anything for very long except play cards. Fortunately he could still play gin rummy and pinochle in spite of his memory loss, so that was our main activity when we visited.
Finding a place to take your loved one, or an activity to share, can mean the difference between a happy, relaxed visit and a tense, frustrating one. Now you can put museums on your list of possibilities, too.
