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While there is still no cure for dementia there are definitely ways to help improve the quality of life of those who suffer from it. The use of music is one such way that has had dramatic results in some patients. Music and memory do seem to go hand in hand – the way a song can recall memories not thought of in years and can put you into a completely different mood then you were moments prior. Now caregivers are turning to music to improve the memory of those with dementia in a new kind of therapy.

We are firm believers in the power of music here at Dementia Support, with singing and dancing as a regular part of our programming. Each day we do sing-alongs with some of the favourite songs of our participants and it really is amazing to see the energy and positivity that flows when the music is playing. Ambient music while other activities are going on is another way we use music to improve the environment for those with dementia.

Music and dementia gained the attention of many earlier this year, when a U.S. project called Music and Memory released a video clip of their documentary that featured Henry, a man with an advanced stage of dementia. He was unresponsive to most interactions until they started him on music therapy, by providing him with headphones and his favourite songs. The transformation was almost immediate – he became responsive to questions and began singing out loud along with the music.

“Folk song is often a good place to start,” says Eleanor Meynell, a professional musician who is using her skills to connect to those with dementia. “You discover people with roots perhaps hundreds of miles away but they remember their local songs. Then we move on to popular numbers from films and shows and the golden age of song. Some of the more mobile patients will dance… and flirt. These songs remind them of their younger selves and the identity they had before they became unwell.”

Music therapy is a low cost approach to care that can have huge benefits for those with dementia and is easy to implement. Through its use, behavioural issues can be reduced which gives relief to caregivers, family members, and the dementia patients themselves. A meta-study on the subject of using music therapy for dementia patients found that a decrease in occurrences of overt behaviours such as wandering and restlessness, reduction in agitated behaviours, and improvements in measures of irritability and mood.

John Carpente, founder and executive director of the Rebecca Center for Music  Therapy in New York shares his experience and says that by “[m]eeting individually and within a group, elder clients express themselves and recall the memories that  music sparks and stimulates. By listening to live music and being involved in live music-making experiences, a greater quality of life is possible.”

Find out more about how Dementia Support provides a dementia care oriented senior’s day centre using the Montessori Methods – contact us now for your free consultation.