The purpose of this study was to research the effects of art therapy to reduce the stress
happened when a care-giver of elderly with dementia is a spouse. The subject of this study
was an old woman of 78 whose husband was under dementia. On this study, the art
therapy program was implemented by 1hour once a week for 18 sessions, and Oh Zu's
questionnaire-type of the care-giving burden scale was used as a stress scale.
The results of this study is as follows;
1. In the result of the care-giving burden scale test, there was a significant reduction of
stress with a big difference of 20 score, as the test score changed from 74 before
implementing the program to 54 after completing it.
2. Looking at the changes during the sessions, the care-giver felt irritable and often
complained for her not going out because of her husband during the early session, and it
seemed that she felt it as a kind of restriction. However, she felt relieved by drawing
pictures showing her irritable image, and she expressed her feelings through the process of
self-reflection, and furthermore had a time to feel her love on her family during the middle
session. Especially, during 13th session, she showed the interaction to respect her husband
doing.
During the final session, it seemed that she tried to adapt herself to her husband in the
present circumstances which she is faced by drawing two birds flying in a direction
together on the sheet of paper.
Key Words : Art therapy, A care-giver of elderly with dementia, Care-giving burden, Stress