[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 33 (Wednesday, March 3, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E327-E328]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   THE ``AT HOME WITH ARTS.'' PROGRAM

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. STEVE R. ROTHMAN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 3, 1999

  Mr. ROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a project in 
my home state of New Jersey that deserves recognition: the ``At Home 
with the ARTS'' program. This acronym stands for Alzheimer's 
Recognition Therapy Service (ARTS). A problem in our society today is 
the increased presence of Alzheimer's disease. Thanks to a three-year 
$217,000 grant by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation of Princeton, the 
ARTS program has expanded to assist more families with the crippling 
effects of Alzheimer's Disease.
  The ``At Home with the ARTS'' program serves two purposes. First, it 
helps to improve the quality of life for the individual with 
Alzheimer's, and secondly, it helps the caregiver cope with the effects 
of the disease. The program assigns a recreational therapist, who is 
trained in recreation, music, art, or activity therapy, to a patient 
with Alzheimer's. The therapist and the patient meet once a week for 12 
weeks, during which time the therapist tries a variety of activities to 
see which is best at securing the patient's attention. The most 
challenging aspect of this program is finding what activity interests 
the patient.
  This program has been successful in helping people such as Beverly 
Cohen of Teaneck, whose mother is suffering from Alzheimer's. Since her 
mother was hard of hearing and did not enjoy watching television, Ms.

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Cohen tried giving her small tasks to complete--but, her mother was not 
interested. However, after several weeks of meeting with a recreational 
therapist, Ms. Cohen discovered that her mother enjoyed arranging dried 
flowers and pasting magazine pictures on coffee cans. Ms. Cohen said 
the therapist helped her figure out the things her mother enjoyed 
doing, and Ms. Cohen feels that both she and her mother have profited 
greatly from the program.
  The success of the ``At Home with the ARTS'' Program has gained the 
attention of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and their grant of 
$217,000 has helped to create an offshoot program in Hudson and Essex 
counties. Volunteers of the Foundation's offshoot program serve as 
companions to Alzheimer's patients, and are trained to provide an 
additional four hours of recreational therapy per week. This added time 
greatly improves the changes of providing those who suffer from 
Alzheimer's with a more active and fulfilling daily routine.
  Since it was started in 1995, ARTS has served more than 132 families, 
and the offshoot program has served 85. Both the program creators and 
its patients believe the sessions help to reduce the depression and 
behavioral disorders associated with Alzheimer's. Fred Brand, Manager 
of Family Service Programs for the Association said that ``Recreational 
activities won't stop the course of the disease, but (the therapy) is 
something that brings back memories, brings back a sense of pleasure, 
and brings back a dormant type of abilities.'' Finally, all of the 
program's initiatives are not directed solely towards the patient. At 
the end of each visit, a half hour is spent with the caregiver so they 
may learn how to do the activities developed by the therapist 
themselves.
  I want to commend the people involved with the ARTS program and those 
who volunteer their time for the offshoot program. They truly make a 
daily difference in many people's lives. I also commend the Robert Wood 
Johnson Foundation for providing the vital financial support to this 
program and others across the nation.

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