An art gallery program for adults with dementia not only improves participants’ self-reported well-being, but normalizes levels of a key wellness biomarker.
That’s the takeaway from a six-week study that monitored adults enrolled in the National Gallery of Australia’s Art and Dementia program. Participants were given saliva tests, and showed improvements in their levels of the steroid hormone cortisol throughout the day, reported Nathan D’Cunha, from the University of Canberra.
In people living with dementia, normal daily cortisol rhythms become disrupted and can result in increased frailty, agitation and decreased cognitive performance, explained D’Cunha.
Post-study, the participants also reported reduced depressive symptoms along with greater working memory and verbal fluency.
The gallery program includes a discussion-based tour of works of art designed to intellectually stimulate adults with dementia and offer social inclusion, according to the museum. It has been running for more than 12 years.
“Six weeks after the study, we asked participants what they remembered of the visits, and almost 50% were able to recall specific aspects of the program,” D’Cunha said. “And 92% of those responded that they very much looked forward to the NGA visits.”
