“Letting Go” will be the theme of an expressive arts workshop held by College Station artist and certified person-centered expressive Jennifer Pocurull from 10am-6pm Saturday, Oct. 21, at her home studio. All proceeds from the workshop, which costs $99, will benefit the Alzheimer’s Association’s Houston and Southeast Chapter serving the Brazos Valley. Space is limited to 12 participants so early registration is encouraged.
“Expressive arts is an opportunity to let your inner child play and create art while also delving into a topic that is meaningful for you,” says Pocurull, whose artwork is displayed at Mad Taco, BCS Heart, the Arthritis and Osteoporosis Clinic of Brazos Valley, the Fortis Nursing Home, and Brazos Valley Plastic Surgery. “We’ve selected the theme of ‘Letting Go’ as the workshop’s focus because it resonates with so many people. Letting go could mean watching your children leave for kindergarten or for college. You face letting go when changing jobs or moving to a new location. For caregivers, letting go takes on a whole different meaning, especially when working with someone with dementia whose mental capacity is constantly changing.”
Currently more than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. However, the Alzheimer’s Association estimates that by 2050, this number could reach 16 million. One in three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia. This condition, which kills more people than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined, will cost the nation $259 billion in 2017. That number is expected to climb to $1.1 trillion by 2050. More than 15 million Americans provide unpaid care for people who have some type of dementia. These caregivers provided an estimated 18.2 billion hours of care valued at more than $230 billion in 2016. This type of caregiving takes a toll -- 35 percent of caregivers for people with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia report that their health has gotten worse due to care responsibilities, as compared to 19 percent of caregivers for older people who don’t have dementia.
To register, make out a check to Jennifer for $50 to the Alzheimer’s Association, it will serve as your nonrefundable deposit. For further information on this workshop, visit http://www.soulstoryarts.com/ or contact Jennifer Pocurull at (979) 739-9768 or by email at jpocurull@mac.com.
