SWAMPSCOTT — Artwork from the Swampscott Senior Center’s Opening Minds through Art program is now on display for community members at Greater Lynn Senior Services, located at 8 Silsbee St. in Lynn.
The program pairs Swampscott High School students with people living with dementia who spend time at the Senior Center at 200R Essex St. to collaborate on artwork together. During the six-week session, the pairs work together to create drawings, paintings, or other visual works of art, funded through a Title III grant awarded to the Senior Center from GLSS.
Through collaboration with a certified OMA provider and SHS, the Senior Center has embedded OMA into the curriculum of Bridging Generations, a health elective at the high school.
During class time, students receive 8 hours of training taught by a certified OMA practitioner, work as volunteers in six OMA sessions at the Senior Center, and participate in a community art show at the end of each session with their artist partners, Gilligan noted.
According to Director of Aging Services Heidi Whear, the Senior Center has received grant funding from the GLSS to continue the program for another two years.
Whear shared her thoughts on the program, and what it means to her to see personal connections formed along the way.
“I think, especially for people living with dementia, to have them create such beautiful artwork — and have people admire it — is really fulfilling… both for the students who are working with them, as well as the families of those who live with dementia,” Whear said.
She continued, explaining that her mother is among the participants in the program, and expresses her excitement and eagerness to return to the Senior Center for another creative session.
Whear also spoke on seeing the sense of collaboration between students and seniors — and how personal connections between the two groups are formed along the way.
“I think there’s a bond that people are creating here at the Senior Center which extends out into the community,” Whear said. “There’s a high school student who participates in the program and met one of the artists (seniors) in the class… And that student was working at a restaurant and ran into the artist. They knew each other and connected again, and I think it’s what community is all about.”
Whear said one of the biggest things for her is that “people in the community are recognizing that more and more people are living with dementia, and we’re finding it more and more in the community.”
She added,“For us, it’s great to be able to communicate with them more effectively and be a little clearer in our communication, or finding a space that’s a little quieter where they can feel comfortable.”
Whear said she’s very grateful to the GLSS for the funding to continue the program.
Assistant Director/Outreach Social Worker Sabrina Clopton echoed that sentiment, saying, “It allows us to provide this incredible opportunity to our community, and we’re very grateful for the support through this grant.”
Clopton added that she’s also grateful for GLSS providing space to display the artwork, which she noted “ties the artwork in with the artists’ relationship with students.”
“They added a picture of the students with their artists, and they did such a nice write-up of the experience… I hope this can continue, and that it can be another place where we can display this artwork and spread word about the program,” Clopton said.
For Clopton, seeing the collaboration and connection of students and artists is rewarding on several levels.
“I can see the difference in the members of the Senior Center that participate in the program. It’s a positive experience for those individuals, but it also spreads to the caregivers… I’ve seen friendships formed between caregivers as they’re waiting in our living room, and those relationships have led outside where people can get together on their own,” Clopton said. “Being able to create all those partnerships and those relationships is extremely rewarding.”
