Clay as a therapeutic tool in group processing with the elderly

Geriatric rehabilitation includes medical treatment, physical therapy, and therapy in both the psycho-social field and the activities of daily living (ADL). Its objective is to return the individual to independent functioning. This may be achieved through art therapy, which enables verbal and non-verbal communication; the expression of personal feelings; and physical, sensorimotor, and cognitive therapy. Group work with hospitalized elderly people is general limited, and art therapy using clay is particularly so. Yet it can stimulate feelings of fellowship and evoke a sense of cooperation and support. This article reviews group work with clay as an additional form of therapy with a group of 8 patients with Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA), or stroke, and femur neck fractures. The objective of the therapy was to combine bilateral sensorimotor activities of the upper limbs with social interaction directed towards future leisure-time activity. The subject of the clay work was "the home," which is central in the life of the elderly person. The article describes initial group activity with two groups of patients. Analysis of the activity was through retrospective observation--examining videotapes, photographs, and questionnaires at the end of each session.