Art tours for elderly population who’d been diagnosed, to slow down the progressions of dementia, “ordered” by the doctor here! Off of the Front Page Sections, translated…
Going to the hospital, the prescription by the neurologist is “going to the museums”? You did NOT read it wrong, the National Taiwan Museum two years ago, started working together the Taipei United Hospital to set up the “friendly Alzheimer’s Museum prescription”, the hospital prescription for the persons with Alzheimer’s and dementia is to head to the museums for a visit.
with the professional staff members from the museum…
The prescriptions given by the physicians, one patient each, with the patients, going to the museums or attending the various activities in the museums. The patient and the caretakers can take the written prescription to the ticket booths of the museums to get the tickets, the guidebooks, and after they finished the tours, they’re to take the booklets, the records of them visiting the museums, and have a discussion with their, neurologists.
Huang stated, that there are currently seventy volunteer tour guides, and trained personnel who were trained on Alzheimer’s, and they’re available to give the tours at various times.
Huang said, “Social Prescribing” includes socialization, social interactions, because social interactions is known to be effective in reducing loneliness, the key factor in preventing elderly from becoming, demented. Research shows, that the elderly population, when engaged in tours of exhibitions, it can stimulate their cognition, boot their mental and physical health statuses, to reduce the stresses of their primary caretakers. The museums aren’t the therapists’ offices, it can help the patients feel more connected with others in the community, and it’d not isolated the patient because of her/his illnesses, it’s a great place for art therapy.
And so, this is a socialization program that the government is now, advocating, for the elderly population to get involved with their local communities more, and by heading out to these exhibitions, the elderly won’t be locked inside their homes, they’re going outside, getting some sun, some exercises, being around others in their environment, which will help, activate those, neurons.