Creative pursuits helping locals with Alzheimer's, caregivers

It was love at first sight.

“It must have been,” laughed Valerie Cole. “He asked me to marry him a week later.”

Forty-nine years have gone by since the British-accented Valerie met her English clergyman husband. On a date one recent afternoon at the University of Virginia Art Museum, the couple holds hands.

Like chiaroscuro artwork, there is more depth than the surface reveals in the lives of Valerie and Michael Cole. The outward light of joy on their faces contrasts with the inner shadow of sadness about Michael’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

“He used to do everything, but now that’s changed. For example, he can’t drive anymore. He forgets where he is going. It’s a memory problem. I need to help him all the time now, so we do everything together,” Valerie Cole explained.

“He also kept forgetting we were coming to the art museum today and asked repeatedly where we were going.”

The Coles are taking a tour of the UVa Art Museum as part of a program by the Central and Western Virginia Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. It’s using the arts to keep caregivers and those with Alzheimer’s connected to the world. “This way we’re not sitting at home, just us. We’re getting to see different people and places and hearing other points of view,” Valerie Cole said.

Sharon Celsor-Hughes is the association’s creative arts director. It’s a new position for a new program “that has a lot of potential” to make a significant and positive impact for those affected by Alzheimer’s, Celsor-Hughes said. ”Right now, there is no cure, but studies say it’s important to keep the mind active and engaged. We care about what Alzheimer’s does to vital people and their families. It can be isolating and stressful after the diagnosis. We’re using the visual arts as a jumping board to create a dialogue. “

A former docent coordinator at the UVa Art Museum, Celsor-Hughes engaged Valerie and Michael in conversation about a piece on display while the group toured the museum. “I like to ask people to guess what it is? What did the artist intend?”

Valerie ventured, “It looks like a wheel.”

Celsor-Hughes added, “The diagonal lines also create a sense of motion.”

“Michael, is this a painting or a sculpture, as it has three dimensions?”

The lively exchange continued with much interest and input by Michael. Celsor-Hughes shared, “We’re not asking people to remember things. We’re asking about something right there before them. It’s amazing the conversations that develop.”

And this makes Valerie happy, but she added, “It’s more than the art. We’re with people who understand. It’s a supportive group by people who care and people who are going through the same problems.”

That’s why Elaine Baker and her husband, Mark, are also on the tour today. If you could paint a picture of their lives, it would mostly be of joy — up until the recent heartbreak.

“I met Mark in high school. We were each other’s first love. We’ve been married 45 years now.”

It was Mark’s captivating personality that caught the cheerleader Elaine’s attention. The book-smart football player later became the vice president of a major company, an inventor and a family man who enjoyed taking care of his wife and children.

“He was always there for us. Now it’s my job to take care of him. And I will forever,” Elaine said.

Mark was diagnosed as having Alzheimer’s two years ago. “It’s a terrible illness,” Elaine said. “It’s hard because I’m losing a bit of him every day. Our minds are what drew us together, but now his essence is disappearing. His mother had Alzheimer’s so I know what to expect ahead.”

Elaine is grateful to the Alzheimer’s Arts Fusion program. “It’s good to know we are not alone. We are with others going through the same thing, and Mark is benefiting from meeting these people. I’m trying to keep him interested in everything and get him out. He used to be a voracious reader. He was brilliant and capable. Now he is not the same person he was.”

UVa Art Museum docent Gay Frix stands in front of a painting and talks to a gathering of people with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers. “I want you to take a look at this one for a moment and tell me what the women in this painting are doing.” Her question piques the interest of the group and leads to an engrossing discussion. Frix said she understands the importance of stimulating the mind because her own mother went through this.

Celsor-Hughes said she is currently trying to expand the program beyond the visual arts. She’s getting the word out to therapists in different specialties so “we can add music therapy, theater, horticulture and other creative outlets.” For those who are unable to get out, the local Alzheimer’s Association will bring the art to them.

“We do mobile art because people living in a residential facility can’t get out, so we will take it to them. We want them to have a quality life, to be respected, and interacting.”

Celsor-Hughes said this program is made possible by a grant from the Blue Moon Foundation.

“I enjoy finding out about people’s lives and connecting with them. I feel honored to be part of their lives and such a worthwhile cause,” she said.

Families of loved ones with Alzheimer’s can contact the Central and Western Virginia Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association for more information about the program. The association is also looking for volunteers.

Elaine Baker reminisced about how when she and her husband were in separate colleges many years ago, they would sign their love letters to each other with the infinity sign. “That’s what we are. We are forever,” she said. “For all of life, even through Alzheimer’s, we will do it together.”

That others are here to support her paints a more hopeful and comforting future.