Walker Methodist | Sep 15, 2014
What is the Miracle of Music?
With the support of the MUSIC & MEMORY℠ program, we have developed the Miracle of Music campaign. The Miracle of Music works to raise funds and put iPods, headphones, and music into the hands of our senior residents who are suffering from Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. To learn more about the MUSIC & MEMORY℠ program, read our recent blog post.
We have created a fundraising site, www.miracleofmusic.us, in an effort to spread the word about the power of music. All donations raised on this site will provide an iPod shuffle, headphones, and music to those residents at Walker Methodist who need it most. Additional donations beyond our goal will go to MUSIC & MEMORY℠ to be distributed nationwide.
The Benefits of Music
Grounded in extensive neuroscience research about how our brains respond to music, tested and proven in more than 140 long-term care facilities throughout the U.S. and Canada, MUSIC & MEMORY℠’s music system has provided benefits for thousands of residents, clients, and even staff. Again and again, care professionals explain that this program is often life-changing for everyone involved, including:
- A way to give pleasure to persons with dementia
- Offers an enjoyable, fulfilling activity for persons in dialysis, on a vent, or bed-bound
- Increases cooperation and attention, reduces resistance to care - a real boost for staff morale
- Reduces agitation, sundowning, and confusion
- Enhances engagement and socialization, fostering a calmer social environment
- Provides a valuable tool for the effort to reduce reliance on anti-psychotic and anti-anxiety medications
Music has also been linked with slowing memory loss, increasing recognition and recollection, and improving the lifestyles of residents using the music program. Oliver Sacks, a noted neurologist and best-selling author of Musicophilia, often discusses the impact of personalize music on those suffering from Alzheimer’s and memory loss, explaining:
“Some of them [senior residents] are confused, some are agitated, some are lethargic, some have almost lost language, but all of them – without exception – respond to music, especially to old songs they once knew. They sort of regain that part, that time of their lives, that identity they had when they first heard the song. It’s amazing.”
We’ve Seen the Results First-Hand
At Walker Methodist, we have had the privilege of implementing music into the care of some of our Alzheimer’s and dementia residents, and witness them come to life. Some residents who seem dazed and uninvolved become assertive, talkative, lively, and much happier than before listening to some of their favorite tunes.
Both families and care professionals have expressed their gratitude for the program and are continually blown away by the shift in attitude and mood in their loved ones and residents. One of our care takers explained further:
“Seeing the change in all of them is amazing. I was talking to Jim [a Walker Methodist Resident] today, and he said “I’m having an awful day.” So I asked him if I could put the headphones on, and the second he had the music on he started to dance, and sing, and make faces – he just became the life of the party. It’s just amazing the change that music can make in somebody.”
See Jim react to his music. Since implementing the MUSIC & MEMORY℠ program, we have seen his personality come to life and we wanted to share this. Before we put the headphones on him, Jim was quiet, depressed, and down, but the music got him up and going!
We Need Your Help!
You can help improve the lives of those affected by this disease by giving hope and peace through music. It's not just those with the disease you will be helping. It's the families. It's the workers. It's their friends. It's your family. It's for everyone who has loved someone who has forgotten who they are.
You can be a hero, just by giving someone music. Please donate today!
