This research intended to find if there are positive changes in visual self-expression, Verbal expression and memory of object when the Aged with Dementia was treated with a group Art Therapy programs. The research subjects were eighteen old peoples with dementia at Day-care center. The aged had taken 20 group Art Therapy sessions for sixty minutes once a week from February 4. 2010 to July 15. 2010. As a measure to verify the effects of Art Therapy program, researchers modified the Landscape Montage Technique Index and the Artistic Level Measurement Index and used them as a visual self-expression index. Verbal expression was displayed by a 3 point index, which is a devised version of the Functional Verbal Activity Test Index, and recall test scores of each session were recorded by using 22 picture cards, based on the Enhanced Cued Recall Test, designed by the main researcher Sun-young Jung. SPSS 12.0 was used for statistical analysis. Research result showed that the visual self-expression scores, which is composed of scenery composition and 14 sub indexes of the Artistic Ability Test, of the aged with dementia were remarkably improved compared to the test scores taken at the introduction of the Art Therapy program.
Also the research result showed meaningful improvements in the areas of Integration, Use of Space, Level of Coloring, Number of Colors, Appropriateness of Coloring, Stability of Coloring, Line Drawing (rough sketch), Expression of Subject, Coloring, Shape, Composition, and Creativeness, excluding Modification of Element. (p<0.05). Their willingness of using the Verbal expression increased while freely enjoying artistic expression. The picture card recall test score also increased steadily. In addition, it was revealed that the Verbal expression and the picture card recall have high correlation with the use of space and the expression of subject of the visual self-expression. In conclusion, The group Art Therapy program has been evaluated to contribute to improvements of the visual self-expression, the verbal expression and the memory of object of the aged with dementia.
Key Words : Group Art Therapy, The aged with dementia (a dotard), Visual self-expression, Verbal self-expression, Object Memory (recall)