The Effect of Art Therapy on Cognitive Function Among Post Stroke Adults University, Teaching Hospital

Alice Nguni¹, Goma Fastone² & Ravi Paul^1*

¹Department of Psychiatry, University of Zambia
²University of Leeds, United Kingdom

Dr. Ravi Paul, Department of Psychiatry, University of Zambia.

Keywords: Art Therapy; Alzheimer Disease; Older Adults Cognitive Functioning; Stroke

Abstract

The population of older adults with stroke in Zambia is rapidly growing and reports of cognitive impairments such as that caused by stroke are becoming more prevalent. Post stroke cognitive impairment is a common symptom of stroke and can have a significant effect upon a patient’s quality of life. In the case of a stroke, one or more cognitive domains may be affected, including attention, memory, language and orientation seem to improve among those who persist with Art therapy. Art therapy is a complex intervention capable of addressing the diverse impairment of post stroke patient. The present study investigated the evidence regarding the effectiveness of therapeutic Art therapy in improving Cognitive Functioning in older post stroke patients.
Objectives The objectives of the study were to 1) to evaluate how cognitive performance among post stroke older adults improve significantly following 10 weeks of art therapy 2)to establish how Art therapy attendance can positively be correlated with cognitive test scores (Clock Drawing Test and the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire) and 3) to determine how cognitive performance outcomes scores for each of the two tests are correlated (the Clock Drawing Test (CDT) and the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ)).

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