i created the first 'Art for the Hands' mat one evening, for a friend to pass onto her Nan. She loves it, and she is much brighter and talkative when she can fiddle with it ... like many with dementia or alzheimers, Nan has active hands, and would other wise toy with her clothing, hair and lips.
These mats are created to be enjoyable, comforting and dignified, plus i have crammed as many textures into each one as i can, everyone is different! any one who is shownone of these has a quick stroke, and fiddle!
Each is handmade in the UK, using fabric off cuts and collected buttons, some donated by kind friends and family (i am also happy to trade work for buttons and fabrics). £5 per mat is donated to the Dorset branch of the Alzheimers Society.
see all my 'art for the hands' mats in this Flickr set
see a video of a cat-themed mat on YouTube
Email Cat for more information about Art For The Hands ...
TO WASH you Art for the Hands mat ...
fold in half, slip into a pillow case to reduce wear, and wash at 30'c with a liquid wash ... to be honest, most items of fixed fibres are 'surface wash only', but as a mum i often wash things with those instructions at 30'c, in a pillow case!
(c)Copyright Catherine L Owen 2009
