Abstract

The main goal of this research is to demonstrate that home bound art-therapy with the elderly is feasible, and to explore the effect of its practice on the symptoms of depression. This research was conducted during the course of a Master's degree practicum in a psychogeriatric clinic of a French hospital in Montreal. This pilot study explore four main aspects: (1) the pragmatic dimension of the home bound art-therapy practice; (2) the exploratory study of the effects of art-therapy on the incidence of depressive symptoms, according to Beck's (1961) Depression Scale; (3) the analysis of the graphic elements of the image based on an observation scale inspired from the Formal Elements Art Therapy Scale (Gantt, 1998) and finally; (4) the presentation of case studies (clinical case) of elderly people that have benefited from individual in home art-therapy sessions during the practicum. Four subjects participated in this study, which used a mix-method investigation (qualitative and quantitative). Although the results cannot be generalised, this study tend to indicate that home bound art-therapy is a feasible practice that could positively affect the depressive symptoms of the elderly.