LEWISTON, ME – SeniorsPlus, Western Maine’s designated Area Agency on Aging, is bringing back Opening Minds through Art (OMA), a program that strives to bring joy, art, and pride to people living with dementia and Alzheimer’s in our community. Through a series of classes, OMA engages people with dementia in creating free-wheeling art. The last 2024 session of OMA classes will be offered at 8 Falcon Road, Lewiston, 2 to 3 p.m. on Fridays September 27 through November 1 at 8 Falcon Road, Lewiston. Registration is required by contacting SeniorsPlus at 207-795-4010 or edcenter@seniorsplus.org. OMA is free.

During the six-week program, people with dementia (the “artists”) are paired one-on-one with volunteers who help them create art using imagination instead of memory. SeniorsPlus seeks artists for the program, as well as volunteers to work one-on-one with participants in these art classes. No art background required.

Original art will be on view in an exhibition of new work by OMA artists on Friday, November 22 at SeniorsPlus at 8 Falcon Rd, Lewiston. The event is open to the public and refreshments will be served.

OMA is an award-winning, evidence-based, intergenerational art-making program for people with dementia. Developed in 2007 at Miami University’s Scripps Gerontology Center, the program is grounded in person-centered care principles. It is designed to provide creative expression and social engagement opportunities for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.