SWAMPSCOTT — The Senior Center will be hosting the last “Open Minds Through Art” (OMA) summer session class on Monday afternoon, followed by an open house and art show event for the community to attend.
Program Facilitator Siobhan McDonald sat down with The Daily Item to speak in-depth about the program’s lasting impact on its participants.
“OMA is an inter-generational art program where we pair up trained teenagers to work with people struggling with dementia to create art projects, different works of mixed-media art, and during the course of it, they build relationships with each other,” McDonald said.
McDonald added that Monday’s class will be the last class of a free six-week session. An open house and art show are scheduled immediately after, where participants, joined by artists and volunteers, can enjoy refreshments and food.
McDonald said the connections she sees formed are remarkable.
“Although some of these teenagers may have grandparents or older adults in their life, some of them don’t, and for them, getting to talk to someone from another generation about their lives is really meaningful,” she said. “They start to see the human in others. … It helps us build this bridge so that young people aren’t afraid to connect with people struggling with dementia.”
She cited one instance when a teenage volunteer was working as a busboy at his job and spotted one of the seniors at the restaurant.
“There was a gentleman who was living with dementia at the restaurant with his wife, and the volunteer had the communication skills to go over and talk with him in a really positive, joyful way,” McDonald said.
McDonald said she hopes the community knows that this event is open to all.
“I hope the community sees that dementia, unfortunately, is not going away. It’s here to stay, and we’re here to stay, too,” she said. “It’s about working together to make Swampscott dementia-friendly for everyone.”
She said OMA is about trying to break down some of the stigma around dementia.
“It’s to understand that these are folks in our community, and just as they were living with another disease or illness, that we’re here supporting people, and that we can live good, positive lives to help each other,” McDonald said.
Assistant Director/Outreach Social Worker Sabrina Clopton said the special thing about OMA summer sessions is the fact that it’s rooted around the volunteers.
“We have 26 students who volunteered to come. Some were new and needed to be trained, but others were already volunteers, and so that makes the program very special,” Clopton said.
Clopton said she hopes the community leaves the event with joy.
“I hope the community learns a lot more than they maybe knew before about all the capabilities of individuals who are living with memory loss throughout the community, and the opportunities here at the Senior Center, both for caregivers and individuals coping with memory loss.”
