To help fight that, the Association and the Denver Art Museum have teamed up to offer tours to keep people with Alzheimer's and dementia interactive in the community.

"They tend to withdraw," said Sara Spaulding, spokeswoman with the Association. "This program gets people, who are in the early stages, out in the community and socializing with people."

The Art & About tour is tailored specifically for people with Alzheimer's or dementia.

"The purpose really is to be accessible," said Ashley Pritchard, spokeswoman of the Denver Art Museum. "The Denver Art Museum is very committed to being accessible to everyone in the community. This is a population in our community that is very marginalized."

The Museum of Modern Art in New York pioneered the Alzheimer's art program -- Meet Me At MoMA, Pritchard said. She added Denver's program is designed around the ground-breaking prototype and that staff came out from New York to train museum employees on how to conduct the tour.

While the tour isn't specifically called therapy, there have been numerous reports of anecdotal benefits in people who have taken the tour.

"People living with dementia reported elevated mood for the next week, higher self-esteem, caregivers reported feeling a lot of support," Pritchard said. "And basically it was just a great time."

The Art & About tour is held monthly. For more information about the tour, visit the Alzheimer's Association website. Or call 303-813-1669 to register for the tour.

All people with Alzheimer's or dementia must be accompanied by a care partner. The tour is free to all participants.