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By Katya De Luisa
I’ve been a collage mixed media artist professionally exhibiting my art and conducting workshops for 50 years. My brain perceives any piece of something and automatically visualizes the whole; it’s a type of holistic neuroprocessing. My range of potential probabilities for any fragment of information is almost limitless. One part immediately connects to another which connects endlessly to a multitude of potentials. This ability has been invaluable for me when developing arts programs for clients.
My first experience with dementia was in 2001, after being contracted to create an all-inclusive group art activity for a small nursing home. I soon discovered all-inclusive group activity doesn’t apply to dementia, yet I rose to the challenge and dove in headfirst. My one day a week paid job led to six unpaid days of endless research online and hanging out with the residents. I needed them to teach me.
My collage making experience paid off and I created a picture communication activity with a companion, usually a family member, helping each resident. Long story short, I eventually partnered with the local Alzheimer’s Association, received a large grant allowing me to transform the activity into a therapeutic experience, and conducted caregiver training in the picture communication process. Over the years I was contracted by eldercare facilities across the country as well as big-name organizations on aging. However, the larger the organization, the more I wasn’t allowed to step outside the box of the standard dementia information. I felt stifled.
The restrain of coloring within the lines of the conventional beliefs about dementia caused me to leave a budding career and returned to Costa Rica where I continued independently offering caregiver training on the picture communication process in Spanish.
I decided to write a book where I could finally express what I wanted to say.
“Is the mind more than just brain generated thoughts, can human consciousness be more expansive than a damaged brain and what happens to the spirit during dementia?” These questions plagued me and are the basis of this book.
Journey through the Infinite Mind is based on the holistic principals of mind, body, and spirit. The material is forward-thinking, yet plausible, the neuroscience factual and the spirituality is theoretical and metaphysical in nature. The first-person narratives allow the reader to step into the shoes of those with dementia to see beyond their outer behaviors and understand their inner world. The practical care suggestions are innovative methods of improving both communication and interaction.
Journey through the Infinite Mind is designed to open minds and empower the readers to become seekers, questioning and formulating their own ideas and opinions, taking them beyond the mainstream dementia information.
My book is a two-year labor of love and an invitation to change our perception of the dementia experience. It’s meant to personally empower and improve the quality of life of those living with dementia and for everyone involved.
“When you change the way you look at something, it changes.”
About the Author
Katya De Luisa is an artist, expressive arts program designer, freelance writer, and author with 20 years experience working with those living with dementia and their families. She is the founder/director of the non-profit The Infinite Mind Dementia Project in Costa Rica: www.theinfinitemind.org
Social Media:
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