Lending a helping eye: artists in residence at a memory clinic.

An artist-in-residence programme at the Capital Health Memory Clinic in Halifax, Canada, was established 6 years ago. The artists contribute to the clinic's academic mission by helping to describe how Alzheimer's disease treated by cholinesterase inhibitors is providing a better understanding of human cholinergic neurotransmission. The artists also contribute to the clinical programme by helping to establish a therapeutic ambience, and by allowing clinicians to see themselves through their patients' eyes. The artist programme has inspired a design initiative for the improvement of the physical environment for older patients, and has created a unique art collection that is becoming a resource for scholarship.