Virtual Reality (VR) devices are nothing new. In fact, they’ve been essential tools for training pilots, astronauts, and soldiers since the 1970s. What’s new today is the quality of the immersive experience. Imagine strapping on a headset and finding yourself in the middle of a concert by your favorite artist that feels and sounds like you’re right on stage with them!… Read more
Here’s the good news: More and more families and caregivers are discovering the many benefits of enabling their loved ones to enjoy their favorite music as they age—especially if their elders experience cognitive decline.
We’re all drawn to music and spend our lives steeped in our favorites. In fact, on average, people listen to 2.6 hours of music a day and 1.3 million songs during their lifetime!… Read more
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Michael C. Patterson on his MINDRAMP podcast about how listening to musical favorites can have a life-transforming effect on people with dementia. Here are links to the two short podcasts we did together:
A Music Treatment for Dementia, July 16, 2023
We discuss how I got on my mission to promote the benefits of music, some thoughts on current music usage in care, and my goals for expanding adoption of beneficial music as an effective quality-of-life approach for persons with dementia.… Read more
Laurie Waters, who lives with dementia, had lost the ability to write easily. She could not even compose short text messages—until a friend installed an AI program on her laptop.
“It has changed my life,” she reports. Now she can write thoughts as they occur and run them through the chatbot, which organizes her ideas into coherent sentences and paragraphs. “It’s made me feel somewhat whole again,” she continues.… Read more
Recently some friends from out-of-town were visiting, and our conversation turned to loved ones coping with dementia. Everyone understood how listening to personal music can improve quality of life. So, I asked whether it had been helpful.
“Yes,” said Joanne, whose Mom passed away this past year from Alzheimer’s. Joanne was so pleased that playing her mother’s favorite music helped to keep them close.… Read more
Research confirms that people living in care settings are more likely to thrive when they regularly listen to and engage with their favorite music. The music we love can shift our moods, make us happier, even prompt us to sing or dance. So, when your loved one needs to transition to assisted living or a nursing home, access to beloved music will be key to their quality of life throughout the days, months, or years in their new home.
Ten years and 50 million views ago, 92-year-old Henry Dryer’s message jolted us out of complacency. He single-handedly shattered the common misconception that dementia means you are no longer yourself, no longer “there.”
Largely unresponsive for years, he “lit up” when listening to a Cab Calloway song that prompted him to share his life story. Henry’s recorded experience led to the award-winning documentary Alive Inside and made tangible the profound benefits of hearing favorite music.
Founder and CEO of Memory Lane TV, Alban Maino is a media producer devoted to integrative health. After several years of product development, he launched this streaming media service, which provides therapeutically designed content that supports the well-being of individuals living with memory loss. Originally from France, Maino is also a US citizen and has just been nominated as Honorary French Consul, representing French culture and promoting economic development in his home state of Maine.
The Resident Engagement Institute, powered by the Linked Senior platform, is dedicated to defining a new era in resident engagement by establishing data-driven tools, benchmarks, and strategies that senior living operators can implement to engage residents in meaningful ways.
Recently, I spoke with clinical psychologist Dr. Jennifer Stelter, PsyD, CDP, CADDCT, CCTP, REI’s Chief Engagement Officer, about the Institute’s effort to enhance resident engagement by measuring and elevating psychosocial well-being.
Alexane Roy, a French musician, educator, and elder care professional, has learned from the ground up the challenges and joys of improving life for those struggling with cognitive decline. Newly translated from French, her successful book, Living…Loving in Alzheimer’s Land, is an approachable, thoughtful, robust guide for anyone caring for a person with dementia. An accompanying activity workbook, EnLIVEn In Alzheimer’s Land: Recreation and Communication Guide Through Neurocognitive Disorders, presents helpful exercises to put concepts into practice.
