March 30, 2016
Indy art show features work by nursing home residents thanks to Purdue program
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Paintings by Indianapolis nursing home residents will be featured during a Friday (April 1) exhibit as part of a Purdue University nursing professor's work to improve residents' quality of life. Kathleen Abrahamson, an assistant professor in nursing, has been working with an Indianapolis center to evaluate person-centered medical care. (Photo provided) |
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Paintings by Indianapolis nursing home residents will be featured during a Friday (April 1) exhibit as part of a Purdue University nursing professor's work to improve residents' quality of life.
"We heard from residents that they would be happy if they could participate in artistic expression beyond typical crafts in a nursing home," said Kathleen Abrahamson, an assistant professor in the Purdue School of Nursing. "Nursing home residents often have a passive role as singers, artists and others visit to entertain them. This is a rare opportunity where they will receive attention from the community and people will come to see their work."
The "Westpark Show" is part of the First Friday event at ArtMix Gallery, 1505 North Delaware St., Indianapolis. The event, free and open to the public, is 6-9 p.m. and will feature 14 pieces of art produced by residents from Westpark. The art will be on display as part of ArtMix's monthly exhibit. The seven acute-term residents who participated in the project were instructed by Carrie King, an ArtMix master teaching artist. She worked with seven residents to explore painting techniques. ArtMix is a nonprofit in Indianapolis that creates access to the arts for people with disabilities.
"The residents at Westpark gained new skills and experience in painting," said Lydia Campbell-Maher, vice president of community outreach for ArtMix. "The paintings were primarily inspired by nature, including landscapes and flowers. In addition, the residents also explored their own life histories through the creation of art. The art activities provided an important opportunity for residents to make individual choices, express themselves creatively and learn new skills. We are grateful for Purdue's support in making this program possible."
Abrahamson has been working with Westpark to evaluate person-centered medical care, which is where the patient is identified as the CEO of their care and meets with the medical-care team every two weeks. The medical-care team is composed of a physician or nurse practitioner; charge nurse; nursing assistant; physical therapist; dietitian; activities coordinator; and social worker.
"This approach is different from the medical-care teams that meet weekly to discuss patient load in a group setting away from the patients," said Abrahamson, whose expertise focuses on how health care services are delivered.
Abrahamson's project began in summer 2015, and she is currently analyzing data. This is an Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute-funded project. Purdue's School of Nursing supported this work.
Purdue and ArtMix are hoping to expand the project at Indianapolis centers.
Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, 765-494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu
Sources: Kathleen Abrahamson, kaabraha@purdue.edu
Lydia Campbell-Maher, vice president of community outreach, lmaher@artmixindiana.org
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