Creativity is not just encouraged at Kempton of Charleston, a Liberty Senior Living community in Charleston, SC; it is part of the routine.
The community offers music therapy, led by Jessica Zieche of Charleston Music Therapy, as well as art therapy, led by Madeline Centracchio, program coordinator with the arts and healing division of the Medical University of South Charleston. Those programs not only provide therapeutic benefits but also provide a chance for residents to get to know each other.
“With music therapy, there is lots of movement and cognitive stimulation to help with memory and recollection, and lots of opportunities for socialization,” Zieche said. “Music helps them to be social. They get up and dance. There is a lot of exercise in doing that.”
Kempton of Charleston’s resident singers have done more than just socialize, however; they formed their own choral group. They may not be embarking on a nationwide tour, but they have provided lots of songs and smiles to the memory care, short-term rehabilitation and skilled care sections of the retirement community. Zieche said that making music and making friends go hand in hand with each other.
“It gives them an opportunity to be part of a social group with a collective purpose,” she said. “Before the holiday performance, they all were talking about what they were going to wear.”
Although some residents may have the pipes to belt out a tune, others prefer to express their creativity with color. On the art therapy side, Centracchio makes sure to pack a lot into each weekly 45-minute session.
“It’s so sweet to see them engage in the art process and to engage with each other,” Centracchio said. “You can feel that sense of community and joy that comes with playing with art materials.”
Centracchio provides an array of materials for residents to choose from: markers, oil paint, pencils, watercolors, clay and pastels. Although it may be difficult to control what happens in one’s life, the potential of a blank canvas is a welcome respite from any chaos in modern life.
“You can’t always choose the medicine you have to take, but you can choose the colors you want to use,” Centracchio said. “Their focus is on something different [than their worries]; they are able to set those worries aside for a little bit.”
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