ABSTRACT
The setting for the group was important. The room needed to be warm, light and free from interruptions. The table that the group sat around was small enough so that we could all see and hear each other. The art materials were placed in the centre but in easy reach. The art therapy group provides an environment where self-expression and exploration can safely take place through the holding and containment of the art process and the relationship between the therapist and group members. A person with dementia loses a sense of continuity that holds the past, the present, and the future together. Sexual feelings or phantasies may be expressed more openly, or fears of death and dying. The art object is a concrete symbol, and the art process becomes a thread throughout therapy when words and thoughts are lost. Art therapy enables elderly person to come to terms with their lives at their own pace and in their own way.
