In 1983, a volunteer leader, Selly Jenny, and an art teacher, Marilyn Oropeza, together with the Alzheimer’s Association of Orange County developed an art program called ‘Memories in the Making’® which provides a unique way to record the expressions of feelings through the medium of art for people suffering from dementia and limited verbal skills.

Originally, the method was developed as a public awareness tool to educate the community about Alzheimer’s disease. Because of the expressive quality of many of the paintings, the art produced developed into a compelling way to raise funds for the non profit organizations. Paintings were reproduced as greeting cards and calendars and the originals have been framed and auctioned at special art exhibitions. All funds raised benefited the Alzheimer’s Association. However, because of the power of the stories that accompany the art it was also realized that the method was most valuable as a reminiscing and ‘processing’ tool to connect the artist with those around him.

The Alzheimer’s Association of Orange County, California, has provided training for art facilitators each year in the ‘Memories in the Making’® art method. Over the years, the Memories in the Making process has been refined and developed into a program known throughout the world. The Memories in the Making program was presented in Barcelona, Spain during the 2001 International Alzheimer’s Conference