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Wednesday, November 01, 2006

This is me and my grandmother at the Virginia Teall House on Salina Street in Syracuse, where I am now a first year medical student busy contemplating dropping out like all other medical students, As Dr. Reider says, "whether they will admit it or not." I find that the challenge so far exceeds my coping mechanisms and I spend a lot of time crying. This was not one of those days. I was simply too tired from taking my exam to cry and I decided to visit grandma instead. I took her for a walk around the park and found a small bindweed flower to clip in her hair. She agreed, grugingly to let one of hte employees take our picutre together. When I visited this place, I was remined of how dreary health care facilities can be. I always wonder how art might change the experince of the elderly who may not have much reason to respond to the plain environment that they are in. I remember how my great grandmother used the word "fresh" to describe the bland food in the hospital. It was flavorless to her--as it is to many of us with younger tastebuds. Fresh now makes sense, like a baby is fresh or a new house that is undecorated is fresh. We tend to think of freshness as a good thing is relation to food. or a bad thing in relation to a tennagers attitude towards parental discipline, but not all freshness is good she reminded me. SO now, my grandmother, my greatgrandmother's daughter is in this "fresh" environment, it is altogether bland. According to some of these healthcare organizations, art might go a long way towards making a difference in their lives.
Society of Arts in Healthcare,www.theSAH.org
http://www.artforhealingfoundation.org/



Project ArtUniversity of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics200 Hawkins Drive 8023 John Colloton PavilionIowa City, Iowa 52242-1009
phone: (319)353-6417fax: (319)384-8141email: uihc-projectart@uiowa.edu