Fridays with Heather
55 Art Projects for Dementia Care
by Hetty van Gurp

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From mosaic stained-glass mirrors and sun catchers to cling-film art and plasticine creatures, Hetty van Gurp provides imaginative and practical ideas that go far beyond the typical “join the dots” type project. Illustrated throughout, Fridays with Heather: 55 Art Projects for Dementia Care contains step-by-step instructions for projects that use household and other easy-to-find materials to create art that is simple, open-ended, engaging, and fun for all involved. Fridays with Heather: 55 Art Projects for Dementia Care is a response to the rapidly growing number of people with dementia, and research showing that creativity has a positive impact. It is also an intimate account of Heather’s dementia journey—the author’s sister-in-law and friend—and the Fridays they spent and still spend together making art.

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Hetty van Gurp has been an elementary teacher, a principal, and a university professor. When her fourteen-year- old son died at his school as a result of an incident of bullying, she was inspired to write a book for teachers offering practical, hands-on activities to help foster a classroom climate in which everyone feels safe. When her sister-in-law, Heather, was diagnosed with dementia, she was motivated to do something similar. She has been engaged in creative arts since childhood, including silver jewelry, macrame, bookmaking, pottery, sewing, knitting, rug hooking, crocheting, and weaving. She has been the recipient of many awards for her work in schools including the 1996 YMCA Peace Medal, the Baha’i Commendation for “Promoting Racial Harmony” in 1998, the Partners Against Racism award from the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission in 2006. She was named as a “Canadian Hero” by TIME magazine, and Reader’s Digest in 2006, and by Today’s Parent in 2013. She is the author of Hooked on Tancook: A Collection of Whimsical Hooked Mats (2021), Creative Coiling: The Artistry of Jean Poythress Koon (2015), Creating Caring Schools: Peace-promoting activities for all seasons 2nd Edition (2015), Peer Mediation: The Complete Guide to Resolving Conflict in Our Schools (2002), Peace in the Classroom: Practical Lessons in Living for Elementary-Age Children (1994), and The Peaceful School: Models That Work (2002). She also wrote teacher guides to accompany three National Film Board documentary films. The toolkit is entitled Peace@School. One of these films, Teaching Peace in a Time of War, is about her peace education work in Serbia. She lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with her husband, Ward. Her son and his family live nearby, so she spends much time with her three beloved grandsons.

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Contributors

Author

Hetty van Gurp

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