An estimated 5.4 million Americans currently suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. Clinical trials and other research are in the works to figure out what causes it and what can potentially limit its effects.

Music therapy is considered to be a method of dealing with Alzheimer’s, without truly treating or curing it. And there’s more work being done in the area of art therapy.

Dr. Anjan Chatterjee is a professor of Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania. He and two colleagues have worked on a study called Art Therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias.

We spoke with Dr. Chatterjee about his work and met a Valley couple, Jay and Ann Alderson, who take part in a dementia-related art-therapy class.