Young Pre-med Students Bring Art Therapy to Seniors Coping with Dementia

“One of the things we’re trying to do is destigmatize dementia for our generation,” says 21-year-old Rohan Kurian, a senior on the pre-med track at Columbia University.

Kurian is the founder of Dementia Art Therapy Alliance (DATA). He serves as both the president of his university’s DATA chapter and the national organization, which currently includes 30 colleges.

The mission of the organization is to harness the therapeutic potential of art to enhance the lives of individuals affected by neurodegenerative disease, and aims to empower both participants and student volunteers by promoting self-expression and shared understanding.

The first program began in the Fall of 2023 when the Neuroscience major approached Alyssa Friedman, the Program Director at Sunrise at East 56th, a senior living community on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

Because art therapy has been proven to slow the symptoms of dementia and promote positive mental health in seniors, Friedman greenlit the program.

“Sunrise is very innovative in its belief in intergenerational programming,” she explained. “It was important to partner with those at the forefront of combining art therapy in the assisted living space for the benefit of our residents and also the students.” Friedman added, “Our reminiscence residents—those in memory care—love our projects and are really proud to show off their artwork. That’s a successful partnership.”

One such resident, Maggie Cohen, who in her younger years was an equestrian, gave a resounding, “Yes, I do,” when asked if she enjoyed doing the artwork. The senior citizen expressed that she’d always been creative and likes it best when the art projects focus on painting animals.

The program is purely volunteer (no college credit), meaning students show up driven solely by a desire to do service.

Two students we spoke to, Sofia Balanay and Rhea Saxena, are both NYU juniors who are pre-med and studying neuroscience. Balanay shared, “I love the sciences, and I also love art. I like the idea of combining both of my interests and interacting with people.” Saxena added: “I previously volunteered at a general surgery unit in a hospital and wanted to continue [doing service.] I think it’s a really good cause.”

Riya Bhat, an NYU sophomore and psychology major also on the pre-med track explained her personal reasons for joining: “My mom is an artist who’s shown her artwork at facilities like this, and heard from directors about the change art makes in the residents. They’re more vocal, more engaged with their environment. It keeps them in the present, and we can hear about their life stories, life lessons, and wisdom.”

Straus Media observed an art therapy session then sat down with Kurian and the national organization’s Director of Operations Raveena Vij, 21, who is an NYU senior and engineering major as well as DATA chapter president at her school. We discussed how the program is going, how it’s growing, and where it’s headed.

First, let’s talk about how you mobilized.

Rohan Kurian: We registered as a nonprofit and launched the website. [DATA] just grew organically through social media and friends.

I knew Raveena was at NYU so I asked her if this was something she would like to start. Then I felt that this was something we could bring to a lot of other places because it’s really easy to initiate. We find memory care facilities near an interested school. The students contact the facilities and explain to the Activities Director what we’re about, guide them to the website, and send a craft guide.

NYU is at Sunrise at East 56th. Our Columbia chapter is currently at The Apsley, a Sunrise community on the Upper West Side. We have chapters all the way from Colorado to Atlanta.

Do you work with the same residents every time?

Raveena Vij: We have a core group of six residents who are here every Sunday and Thursday. There are about 8 to 10 others who come, depending on how they’re feeling. It’s nice because then we get to see different people in different stages of their lives and connect with them.

Are you measuring any kind of cognitive results?

RK: We’re thinking about potentially looking at if there is an improvement [among residents], but one thing we’ll definitely look at is how the attitudes of students change with respect to people with dementia.

As for the residents, subjectively, I think we’ve seen at least improvements in communications because we’re talking to them a lot, building a rapport. Raveena tracks improvement in her journal.

RV: I write down the week-to-week behavior of different patients with whom I’ve worked. Maybe it’s not quantitative, but I think the residents can definitely tell the difference. We can feel a difference. Some of them recognize us now. Which is incredible.

Aside from the art being therapeutic, do you think that being around young people has an effect on the residents?

RV: Absolutely. We’ve had some residents who show up then decide they don’t want to paint. We’ll say, “ OK. Can we just sit with you and chat?” We instantly see this opening them up. I think that has honestly provided more connection than the art itself.

You’re both graduating seniors. What happens to DATA then?

RK: My role as the chapter president at Columbia is to hand the baton over to lower-classmen to keep the program going. We already have someone who will be president of the Columbia chapter next year. With the overall organization, I’ll still be taking charge of that aspect and still running the nonprofit as its president. Even in med school, this is something I really love, so it’s something I’m going to stay with.

RV: At our NYU chapter, it will be the same passing of the baton. This is such an incredible opportunity. I enjoy it. After graduation, my role within the national organization is internal operations. I will probably stay in that role for another year. It’s so rewarding.

To learn more about DATA visit the website.

Lorraine Duffy Merkl is the author of three novels, most recently, “The Last Single Woman in New York City.”