Art therapy offered hospice clients

  Art therapy is being brought to hospice and respite clients by Dare County Arts Council and Dare County Department of Public Health, helping these clients create a legacy for their families to treasure in years to come.

  Through grant funds from the North Carolina Arts Council and Outer Banks Community Foundation, terminally or chronically ill patients have been paired with professional local artists as part of the Legacy Project. Art works created by clients will be on display for community viewing before being returned to family members. The final day of the Legacy Project Art Show will be combined with ”Continuing the Journey,” an annual community memorial event hosted by Dare Home Health and Hospice.

  The use of art therapy with chronic or terminally ill patients has grown in recent years as the therapeutic value has become more widely recognized. The process has been used to help patients deal with pain, stress, or in some cases, addiction. Art therapy is thought to encourage reflection and self-discovery. Although painting, drawing and sculpture are common mediums for art therapy, there are many alternative methods such as music, dance or writing. Art therapy provides the opportunity to explore feelings, thoughts and emotions. It allows patients to share a piece of themselves and their life’s journeys through art.

  As parf of the Legacy Project, three local artists, John de la Vega, Tracy Bell and Fay Davis Edwards, completed hospice volunteer training. They were then matched with Dare Home Health and Hospice and Dare Respite Care clients interested in participating in the project. The artists met with the clients in their homes weekly for 1.5-hour sessions where stories, pictures and life experiences were shared. This information was then used to create a piece of art, either by the client, the artist, a family member or all, depending on the unique situation of that client.

The Legacy Project art work will be on display at the Baum Center this week, through Saturday (June 14-19). The public is also invited to participate in ”Continuing the Jorney” Saturday, June 19, 2-4 p.m., at the Baum Center and Outer Banks Arboretum and Teaching Garden. ”Continuing the Journey” is an annual public memorial service hosted by Dare Home Health and Hospice that provides the opportunity to honor, remember and celebrate the lives of special friends and family members who have passed away. This year, the event is being combined with the Legacy Project Art Show as a celebration of the varied and colorful journeys that are the legacies of those who have gone before us. Participants will have the opportunity to meet the Legacy Project artists and create their own piece of art. This project is supported by the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the N.C. Department of Cultural resources, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

  For more information, contact Hayes Ferguson, social worker, Dare Home Health and Hospice at 252-475-5031.