People with Dementia Find Renewed Confidence While Playing In Orchestra
Alzheimer’s is a global issue that is on track to bankrupt worldwide health systems if a cure is not found. Therefore, funding for research is paramount, not just for those who have the disease but for future generations, as well. However, large numbers of the people who have Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia at this time are trying to make the point that it is equally important to put imagination, research and funding into how to care for those who already have this incurable disease.
With this goal in mind, Bournemouth University Dementia Institute (BUDI) in Dorset (UK) has found a unique method to help boost confidence and mood for people with all kinds of dementia. The program was originally set up in partnership with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO). Participants have found that the experience of playing in an orchestra has positive effect on confidence and mood. Many participants have learned new skills while others have rediscovered old ones.
Music helped several of my loved ones with their aging issues, each in a unique way. The person who came to mind when I read about this orchestra is my mother-in-law. While Alice was never diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, she definitely had a form of dementia. Now that diagnosing techniques are more refined, likely tests would show Alzheimer’s disease.
Alice had become so paranoid and lonely in her condominium, even with my daily help handling her meals and other issues, that it was obvious a move to the nursing home that she could already see from her living room window was necessary. My dad and uncle were already living at Rosewood, and I visited there every day, so we hoped that she wouldn’t find the move hard.
To my astonishment, not only was the move not hard on her, it was an amazing step forward. From the moment we walked in the door and I took her to her prearranged room she refused to even glance out the window for a look at her old home. She made it clear in her own way that this was now her home and she began to flourish. I could tell she felt safe and cared for. Soon, the staff had her playing the piano, something that she hadn’t done at home for several years. Alice was once a church organist – a very talented one. So, it was a thrill for me to see…
Continue reading on HealthCentral for more about how playing music can help people with dementia:
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