Music combats Alzheimer’s and dementia
What’s your favorite song? Every decade in history has fostered its own collection of Billboard hits. Movie soundtracks, religious music, Broadway shows – our memories and emotions are deeply tied to music. Music is so powerful that it’s now being used to combat Alzheimer’s and dementia in older adults with a program called Music & MemorySM. Glenn Miller, Bing Crosby, The Andrews Sisters: they’re voices in our ears, and portals to the past.
The Music & MemorySM program at Barclay Friends Continuing Care Community in West Chester, Pa received two $5,000 grants in December 2015 – one from Kendal Charitable Funds and one from the Jeanes Fund – to purchase staff training, iPods, headphones, and music. Our goal is to provide residents struggling with dementia with individualized music collected as a playlist – family members prove invaluable in assessing music preferences – in the hopes of increasing the number of times residents engage with the world around them, including making eye contact, smiling, and laughing.
The program is grounded in extensive neuroscience research on the therapeutic effects of music in geriatrics and nursing. Resident Services Administrator Sarah Matas describes how agitation can interfere with the provision of care. “It can increase falls and accidents and can be a source of stress for all involved. Residents with cognitive impairments often have a lowered stress threshold, but when individualized music is introduced, and the term individualized is extremely important, that music evokes an emotional response tied to personal and positive memories. These are the connections we want to make.”
The initiation of Music & Memory(SM) follows the receipt of a Certificate in Memory Care from The Joint Commission, validating our efforts to provide a person-centered approach to dementia care. Requirements for certification include staff training concerning best practices in dementia care – all Barclay Friends staff are certified in Alzheimer’s Association essentiALZ(TM), which focuses on competency in communication techniques; monitoring the use of psychotropic medications; and enabling residents to live in spaces that reflect meaningful memories and religious and cultural traditions.
Barclay Friends has also been recognized by Holleran, an independent research firm, for the high level of service it provides to older adults. The results of the 2015 resident satisfaction survey, reported in January 2016, indicate scores exceeding the 90th percentile for factors including confidence in emergency medical response; right to make independent decisions; and overall cleanliness of the community.
Barclay Friends considers and admits residents without regard to race, color, gender, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, or any other characteristic protected by law.
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