How Music Helps People With Alzheimer's Disease
"Where words fail, music speaks."
The famous phrase penned by writer Hans Christian Andersen rings true for many people with Alzheimer's disease -- even in the very late stages. Ezinma Ramsay, 24, a classically trained violinist in New York City, performs weekly for a man with the disease, fulfilling a request from his daughter. "He can't remember what day it is sometimes when I perform, but he knows the music," Ramsay says. "He'll whistle along, and sometimes his caregivers say he'll whistle for the whole week. It's amazing." Indeed, music therapy can promote wellness and enhance memory among those with the disease. Here's how:
What is music therapy?
Al Bumanis, director of communications at the American Music Therapy Association, which represents roughly 4,000 certified music therapists nationwide, says much of music therapists' work is geared toward the aging population. You'll find music therapists in nursing homes, hospitals, rehabilitation facilities and at community centers. Bumanis defines music therapy as a health profession that uses music as a treatment tool to address non-musical goals. For example, music can be used to elicit a happy or memorable moment from someone's past, which may decrease anxiety by promoting relaxation or give an otherwise sedentary person enough energy to get up and boogie.
The science of music memory
In June, Jörn-Henrik Jacobsen, a scientist at the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig, Germany, and the University of Amsterdam published a study in the journal Brain analyzing brain scans of 32 young and healthy men and women. He and his colleagues compared their findings with 20 people with Alzheimer's disease. Jacobsen and his team discovered that musical memory can be spared -- unlike other parts of the brain -- throughout Alzheimer's disease progression. This happens because following the rhythm or beat to music by whistling or singing comes from a part of the brain that doesn't require cognitive functioning, according to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America.
Emotional connections
Music can connect people and enrich their lives, says Ruth Drew, director of family and information services at the Alzheimer's Association in Chicago. "Many people with Alzheimer's disease may not be able to initiate meaningful activity, so music can be a big part of that," Drew says, adding that music can affect someone's level of boredom or agitation, calm them or lift their spirits. "I can tell you that caring for someone in a great mood is a lot easier, fun and safer than caring for someone who's scared, upset and unhappy."
Affection and closeness
Later forms of the disease can affect a person's ability to interact with loved ones through emotional closeness and expressing affection through speech, according to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America. However, music can reinvent this closeness between someone with Alzheimer's disease and his or her spouse, friends and family. The foundation says music can prompt hugs, kisses and caresses, plus lead to gentle, rhythmic movements such as rocking in a chair or patting their leg to the beat.
Performing works, too.
Don't rule out asking your loved one to belt out "The Sound of Music," "When You Wish Upon a Star" and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Linda Maguire, a neuroscientist and CEO of the Maguire Brain Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues published a study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society in April on the benefits of singing. The authors found that those who sang the classic movie songs in three music lessons each week for four months had improved cognition and satisfaction in their daily life, compared with those who were listeners.
Different strokes
Don't push your musical tastes on your loved one, Bumanis warns. "I don't know if they're going to go for the Allman Brothers and the Grateful Dead, but you never know," he says. If you're caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease, play music that the person enjoyed when they were 18 to 25 -- whether it's classical or country, Cher or Ol' Blue Eyes. If they say it sounds terrible, try something else, and keep track of what they like most. Another option is to load their favorite music into an old iPod or MP3 player so they always have music handy.
Find a program.
Music therapy might require a referral. If the person who needs it is in a nursing home or doesn't have access to a music therapist, speak to his or her treatment team to learn which options are available. Music & Memory, for example, is a nonprofit aimed at bringing personalized music to those who face Alzheimer's, dementia and other cognitive or physical challenges. The program trains health care providers and caregivers to create playlists that can comfort people in their new or changing reality. The Alzheimer's Association's 80 chapters throughout the country can also help connect caregivers to music therapy through their website, Drew says.
Samantha Costa is a Health + Wellness reporter at U.S. News. You can follow her on Twitter, connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at scosta@usnews.com.
