Multimedia Life Memories as Life Review for Alzheimer's Family Caregivers
Graduation Date
Fall 2011
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Document Form
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy
Degree Granting Institution
Notre Dame de Namur University
Program Name
Art Therapy
Dean
John Lemmon, PhD
First Reader
Richard Carolan, EdD, ATR-BC
Second Reader
Gwen Sanders, MFT, ART-BC
Abstract
The purpose of this grant proposal is to request funding for an art therapy life review program for family caregivers of individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and other related types of dementia (ADRD). The proposed study will be implemented over a course of ten weeks using an art therapy object relations theoretical approach. An increasing amount of research explores interventions to facilitate life review for the ADRD family caregiver and care-receiver dyad, but few provide a multicomponent dimension through the use of multimedia technology. This study will explore the ADRD family caregiver’s experience of life review through creating and viewing multimedia life memories (MLMs) about the care-receiver. The research hypothesis is that this art therapy program will promote the ADRD family caregivers’ personal meaning-making in the context of their caregiving experience and leave a legacy of the care-receiver.