Making the most of memories through music
When I was a teenager, I remember visiting a nursing home in my small town in Wyoming in the late 1960s. A group of us went there to visit the residents. At one point I sat down at a piano in the sitting room, and began to play. I didn’t have much of a repertoire, but I do remember playing “Laura’s Theme” from the movie Dr. Zhivago. Everyone in the room clapped, and asked me to play it again, which I did. I did my best to remember a couple of other songs to play before I had to leave.
On my way out the door, a nurse came up to me. She pointed out a frail, little elderly woman who was sitting near the piano. She told me that “Betty” had come out of her room down the hall when I had started to play the piano. She thanked me, saying that the woman never talked to anyone or came out of her room voluntarily. But the music had motivated her to walk down the hall on her own for the first time in many weeks.Years later, I still remember the seed that was planted for me then. In my work as a massage therapist, I have spent many hours working with clients in senior communities, assisted living homes, and hospices. While my work has primarily been in the offering of nurturing touch, I have also sometimes shared music with my clients – singing to them, or singing with them.
In recent years I’ve been studying with Gregg Hansen, a musician who has a keen sense of the importance of music as a vehicle for healing and enhancing the quality of life for people in senior communities. In one memory care center he offers a musical program in which the residents play percussion instruments – drums and shakers – as he leads them in singing the familiar songs of their youth. Though they all suffer from dementia, they do remember songs they knew in their past. Gregg says, “Everyone can participate, no matter their physical or mental limitations.” Singing these songs evokes the feelings of happiness and joy associated with the music. That happiness is experienced in the present.
Gregg tells the story of one woman with Alzheimer’s dementia, who remembered all the lyrics of the songs as they were singing. Afterwards, he acknowledged her for that, saying to her, “I’m so impressed – you know all the words to all the songs.” She replied, “I do?”
Losing memory is certainly a fearful phenomenon, yet music can be a key that connects the individual to meaningful life experiences – a bridge from the past to the present. Gregg has a specific structure he uses, leading songs in a particular sequence of rhythms and tempos. He has consistent cues, using repetition of the chorus, for example, to end a song. He says, “I have no explanation. I just know it works.” Familiarity with the songs and the structure fosters feelings of safety, inclusiveness, and comfort.
“Music has the ability to stimulate more parts of the brain than any other stimulus,” according to neurologist Oliver Sacks, MD, who speaks in the documentary movie “Alive Inside.” The film, written and directed by Michael Rossato-Bennett, is a testament to the power of music in the lives of people suffering from dementia. It demonstrates the ability of music to combat memory loss, and restore a deep sense of self to those suffering from it.
Dr. Sacks says, “The past which is not recoverable in any other way is embedded, as if in amber, in the music, and people can regain a sense of identity, at least for a while. The parts of the brain that respond to music are very close to the parts of the brain concerned with memory, and emotion, and mood. Familiar songs will bring back memories that have been lost, or at least the feeling of it for awhile.”
Whether the music is live or recorded, it can provide a way to reach people who are otherwise seemingly unreachable. Laurie Rugenstein, a music therapist with years of experience working with hospice patients, says that she will try to find music from a patient’s youth, and play it live for them or find recordings of it. It can stimulate pleasant memories and conversations about past events.
Whether you are a professional or family caregiver for someone with memory loss, don’t hesitate to experiment with music. You just might be pleasantly surprised to find that music provides a rewarding way to connect with those in your care.
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Mary Kathleen Rose is a licensed massage therapist and ardent advocate for the health and well-being of special populations through the use of safe, appropriate, and effective touch. The developer of Comfort Touch(R) Nurturing Acupressure, she is the author of the textbook “Comfort Touch: Massage for the Elderly and the Ill”(LWW 2009) and DVD of the same title. www.comforttouch.com. She is also a musician. For information about her music visit: www.wildrosevine.com.
