ART AS THERAPY

The Huntington Beach Hospital is hosting its 2007 Art Exhibit for “Memories in the Making,” a program for people with Alzheimer’s Disease or other types of dementia.

The program gives patients suffering from the disease a chance to communicate through art, organizers said.

Now through March 9, the public is invited to view the exhibit, which consists of around 10 pieces and is sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Assn.’s Orange County chapter.

Program organizers have found that painting often triggers memory retrieval. Painting styles also can reveal a patient’s progression through the disease. For instance, those in the later stages of Alzheimer’s paint almost entirely in lines and dots, rather than blending colors.

The artwork is on display in the main lobby hallway of the hospital at 17772 Beach Blvd. For more information, call: (714) 229-4005.