There’s just something about music. It soothes our souls and inspires emotions, and for people living with Alzheimer’s disease, it can be used to bring back memories, recognition, and overall good feelings, calm disposition, and happiness.

We recognize music when we hear it, and everyone has a tune or melody they enjoy listen to. A tune we can hum or sing along to. This familiarity is also strong in those who have dementia. No matter the piece – classical music, opera, soft rock, British pop, or country music. Listening to music can inspire amazing positive reactions.

Music And It’s Effects

Professor Paul Robertson is a UK (www.musicmindspirit.org/aboutus.html) has spent years studying music and its effects on the brain. He puts it, “To create unique insights into our innate ‘hardwired’ systems of Integrated Intelligence.” According to the professor, who’s studied music as part of dementia care, music is one of the last experiences and knowledge to leave a human. “We know that the auditory system of the brain is the first to fully function at 16 weeks. Which means that you are musically receptive long before anything else. So it’s a case of first in, last out when it comes to a dementia-type breakdown of memory.”

Rewarding Results

Caregivers who use music in their daily role find the results rewarding. People with Alzheimer’s disease often are participatory, attentive, and engaged when they hear music… Especially the music they are familiar with. It inspires them to clap their hands, hum to the tune, or sing the lyrics. Caregivers even find that those with late dementia, who have degenerated language ability and recognition skills. Will start remembering lyrics they had memorized in their life before dementia.

Go explore the power of music and how it can help you in your daily caregiving role.

Karen Tyrell, CPCA, CDCP

Dementia Solutions

www.DementiaSolutions.ca