EXPRESSIVE THERAPY
An Artist Gives Back
Certainly Richard Dahlstrom learned quite a few things in his 87 years.and last December, he showed he had more than mastered the better-to-give concept.
From his bed at the Hope Care Center in Cape Coral, Dahlstrom churned out paintings at the clip of about one a day. He had a plan. Christmas was coming.
“I have my own world. In here,” he said, pointing to his temple.“hence the paintings.all done while I am flat on my back. I thought, Let's give them away for Christmas. I've got to hustle if I want to pay my family back in some way, and I felt that way about the people at Hope Hospice too. For all they've done,” Dahlstrom added.
To help facilitate this generous gift, daughter Karin Dahlstrom Kempa set up about 25 paintings in a common area. Members of the Hope team were asked to choose the image they liked best.among them were all sorts of themes, from sea captains to farmers, Native Americans to country scenes and more.
One female staff member chose a painting of a country couple rendered in iconic American Gothic style, saying she always wanted to be a farmer's wife and this is as close as she was going to get, Kempa said.
Another happily selected a painting with the title The First Christmas. It was meaningful because Christmas 2018 would be the first holiday in recent memory when her whole family would be together.
Dahlstrom had been receiving Hope Hospice care at home. But when his wife, Judith—his primary caregiver—needed surgery and hospitalization, Dahlstrom moved to the Hope Care
Center in Cape Coral. “And it was so wonderful,” said their daughter, who knowing that her father was well cared for could handle her mother's illness and recovery so much more easily.
When Judith Dahlstrom was discharged from the hospital, she also needed the support of hospice. Both Dahlstroms moved to a skilled nursing facility in Cape Coral and remained in Hope's care.
The fact that her father was constantly sketching—even from his bed—wasn't a surprise to Kempa. Illustration had been his career and more. His work had been published in books, in newspapers as political cartoons, and sold as clip art before it was readily available online.
She remembers well that while she was growing up and in school, she couldn't leave homework papers out without finding illustrations on them later.
Dahlstrom smiled at the memory. And again, when talking about the reception his paintings received at the hospice house. “It was such a merry Christmas,” he said.
The Hope team recognizes how different forms of creative expression help people to find peace, joy, relaxation and fun. Expressive therapies are an important part of the organization's mission. Creative pursuits help many in Hope's care to tap into emotions that are hard to reach. And often, communication is best done non-verbally through music, painting or drawing.
Expressive therapies provide great insight to counselors who utilize these art forms to explore unshared emotions. They work closely with people in Hope's care to help them to accept, to understand and to emotionally heal; this can be life changing for many people.the care is only possible through community support. To make a gift, visit Hopehcs.org/ donate or call 239-482-HOPE and ask to speak with a member of the development team.