Reaching Alzheimer’s Through Music

 

 

 

 

“I have witnessed the beneficial power of music for those with Alzheimer’s disease. People in my classes who are virtually speechless and confused begin to sing, hum and sometimes dance once they are stimulated by music. The benefits of music and singing, such as mood improvement and calmer behavior, often persist for hours after the music has stopped…I have always known that music can open hearts. Through my teaching experience, reinforced by recent research, I have seen how it can also open minds.”

~ Barbara Jacobs, M.S.

Read the article here: Reaching Alzheimer’s Through Music | Dementia & Alzheimer’s Weekly.

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“New Music-Therapy Research” from Dementia & Alzheimer’s Weekly

Amazing article & concept.

“What seems to happen is that a piece of familiar music serves as a soundtrack for a mental movie that starts playing in our head. It calls back memories of a particular person or place, and you might all of a sudden see that person’s face in your mind’s eye,” Janata said. “Now we can see the association between those two things — the music and the memories.”

“Providing patients with MP3 players and customized playlists,” he speculated, “could prove to be a quality-of-life improvement strategy that would be both effective and economical.”

Read the article here: New Music-Therapy Research | Dementia & Alzheimer’s Weekly.