On the third Tuesday of each month, the Fort Wayne Museum of Art will host tour programs specially designed for individuals with an early-stage diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or another form of early-stage dementia. Museum guides who have been trained to effectively communicate with individuals with early-stage dementia diagnoses will be leading the tours. The program is a partnership between the Fort Wayne Museum of Art and the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Indiana Chapter. It is designed to provide an experience of the visual arts to individuals with an early-stage diagnosis of dementia in a way that meets their needs.
This new program is modeled after the Museum of Modern Art’s program in New York City, which was developed during its Alzheimer’s project initiative from 2007 to 2014. From that project, the Museum of Modern Art developed training materials to be adapted for museums across the country. These training materials were implemented at the Indianapolis Museum of Art with great success. Therefore, the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Indiana Chapter staff felt that program could also be successful in Fort Wayne.
Tours are free of charge for participants and their caretakers and are held on the third Tuesday of each month at 2:00 p.m., lasting about an hour. If you are interested in bringing a loved one with dementia to the monthly tours, you must call the Fort Wayne office of the Alzheimer’s Association first at 800-272-3900 to have your loved one pre-screened. Individuals will not be able to participate in the program unless they are first pre-screened for an early-stage diagnosis and you register for the program by calling the Alzheimer’s Association.
2017 Tour Dates:
August 15
September 19
October 17
November 21
December 19.