The purpose of the pilot project is intergenerational -- to bring young students and Alzheimer's patients together in meaningful interaction.
1. The art students who worked with Hilgos were invited to present to a class of 7th graders the work of the artist Hilgos who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The 12 year-old students read the story and the script and actually played the roles of Hilgos and her art students introducing them to the story of how the artist remembered better when she painted.
2. What's next: There has been medical interest in the Hilgos project. The artist's daughter, Berna G. Huebner, was invited to be on the Alzheimer's Advisory Board at the Boston University School of Medicine and she was invited to present the story, "I Remember Better When I Paint," to the Board and friends of the Boston University School of Medicine.
3. At the suggestion of Dr. Lawrence Lazarus, geriatric psychiatrist formerly with Rush Presbyterian in Chicago, and the encouragement of Dr. Robert Green, a neurologist specializing in Alzheimer's at Boston University School of Medicine, a book has been written and a documentary has been proposed telling the story of Hilgos. The book describes how the project raised awareness of the importance of helping people continue to make a contribution to the community and family despite their limitations as a result of Alzheimer's.