 | Doug Stark
is president of ComfortCare Homes, Inc. ComfortCare provides long-term care for the memory impaired at all levels of care and function in elegant, single-family residential homes. Born out of the Stark family's experience with Alzheimer's they have grown to 25 homes with 8 in Wichita and 17 in Nebraska and Virginia. A native of Wichita, Doug attended Wichita public schools and the University of Kansas. He served for 12 years as a Big Brother and has been a member of Wichita Rotary for 19 years. He is board member and Treasurer of Kansas Health Ethics. Doug can be contacted through his office at 7701 E. Kellogg, Suite #490, 67207, by calling (316) 685-3322, or by sending an e-mail to comfortcarehomes@aol.com |
Senior Living
2002-01-01 13:32:00
Music and memory impairment care
Question: I have heard that music can greatly aid in the care and comfort of someone afflicted with Alzheimer’s. Can you tell me more?
Answer: It is quite true that for many afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease or other cognitive deficits, music can be very therapeutic. For some in fact, in late stage Alzheimer’s who no longer can verbalize their thoughts, music is the only vehicle that stimulates and draws a reaction from the individual. There are a couple of factors behind this. As most know, your brain has two hemispheres. The analytical left side of the brain controls... along with other dimensions... speech, reading, sequential ordering, and mathematical abilities. Alzheimer’s disease most heavily affects this hemisphere of the brain. Music appreciation is located in the non-dominant right side of the brain along with other characteristics like emotion, intuition, artistic expression and spiritual feelings. From this comes the labeling that you may be a right or left brainer, based on whether your personality and interests place you closer to artistic, creative and emotional or more digital, analytical and structured. The other reason music is so powerful and transforming is the emotional attachment that all of us have with it, particularly music that impacted our lives from around age 14 through 25. These formative years include Jr. High and High School, your first love(s), for some, college or the military, marriage, etc., where music of the time was cemented into your memory with great emotion. The strongest and most retained memories come as a result of events in your life that are tied to strong emotion. Dr. Oliver Sacks, a noted neurologist speaks of the power of music as a way to communicate, to express feelings, to enliven rich memories that bypass the communication difficulties caused by the disease. Appreciating, responding to, and becoming involved in music does not require the use of the areas of the brain that are usually damaged by the disease process, Dr. Sacks states. In one study, the use of music during a reminiscence group resulted in higher measures of life satisfaction and a greater level of enjoyment, compared to a control group which did not use music (Bennett & Mass 1987). Music can have a pervasive effect that facilitates movement, speech, and the reactivation of old skills. However, both the music medium used and the response are very much dependent on the individual’s personality and history. Often mislabeled the universal language, all types of music do not necessarily speak to every person. Response is highly individual. Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony may be uplifting to some and have no meaning at all to others. Furthermore, it must be introduced with empathy, in order to meet individual therapeutic goals. Background music or a group sing-along can have recreational value for some, however in order to be truly therapeutic and promote individual change, the music and the delivery environment must be goal directed. If you would like more information on this subject you can contact the American Association for Music Therapy at 1-201-379-1100, or the National Association for Music Therapy at 1-301-589-3300.
