Alzheimer Society harnesses the power of music

Laurie Ball, a Social Programs Coordinator with the Alzheimer Society of Brant, Haldimand Norfolk Hamilton Halton, notes that music is often tied to memories. The Music for Memory program, which provides the loan of an MP3 device with customized music, is open to Alzheimer Society clients in Brant Haldimand Norfolk, and can help with mood and memory. 

Lisa Timpf

Advocate Contributor

Whether it’s the first song from a wedding dance, a favourite tune from high school, or a sound track from a pivotal point in one’s life, most of us have had the experience of music sparking memories.

The Alzheimer Society of Brant, Haldimand Norfolk, Hamilton Halton taps into this phenomenon with their “Music for Memory” program.

Music for Memory allows individuals who are clients of the Alzheimer Society, and who have a diagnosis of dementia, to borrow an MP3 player loaded with personalized music for a four-month period. This trial period allows the individual and their caregiver to see if music can help with mood and memory.

At the end of the four months, some choose to purchase equipment of their own and continue tapping into the power of music. Others may find that the program isn’t for them, and that’s okay, says Laurie Ball, who serves as the Social Programs Coordinator for the Alzheimer’s Society in Brant Haldimand Norfolk.

We’re all different in the way we use our brains, Ball says, noting, “What is special and important to one person might be different from someone else.”

For some people, Music for Memory makes a big difference.

“It can open up possibilities for communicating,” says Ball. “If someone is not communicating like they used to, it gives them tools from the past. Music can untap locked memories, and sometimes that might open up conversation.”

Ball notes that in some cases, people living with dementia who seem unresponsive to questions have opened up after listening to familiar music. In other cases, music helps to calm individuals, making it possible for caregivers to do needed tasks.

Why does music have this power? Songs, Ball notes, are often linked to powerful emotions from our past, and “you are more apt to hold onto a memory that has deep emotion attached to it.”

Emotion, in fact, can be “the glue that holds onto a memory.” 

When someone is diagnosed with dementia, we often “see the diminishing abilities, not the abilities,” says Ball. “So much of what that person is, is still there.”

Music can bring out the essence of someone by linking them to their past.

“It lets them be the person that they are,” she says. Songs can also bring back or evoke some memories, and that can be a “beautiful thing.”

To participate in Music for Memory, the recipient or their caregiver go through an application process that ensures program guidelines, like the limited-time duration, are understood.  Returning the equipment at the end of the four months makes it available for use by another recipient.

The application also collects detailed information about the recipient’s music preferences. Volunteers use these music preferences to prepare a personalized playlist, featuring the eras, artists, and even specific songs favoured by the MP3 recipient. Volunteers then follow up at specific intervals to ensure there are no problems using the technology, and to check how things are going.

Ball salutes the contributions made by the long-time volunteers who operate the Music for Memory program, noting that they’ve taken ownership of the program and made it successful.

Music for Memory is just one of the programs offered by the Alzheimer Society.

The Alzheimer Society, Ball says, would love to connect with people sooner.

“In a perfect world, people would be getting in touch with us earlier, when they are seeing (cognitive) changes,” Ball says. “They can learn about services that can help along the way.”

Early intervention also makes people “more apt to be able to stay in the home longer.”

Social stigma, fear, or denial may be reasons for people not reaching out to the Alzheimer Society when indicators that might signal dementia start to show.

“Everyone knows their own normal,” Ball says. When something seems off, a visit to the doctor may be in order.

In some cases, what presents as dementia may have other underlying causes, like an infection, and it’s important to address these root causes in a timely way. If the diagnosis is dementia, linking into the Alzheimer Society can smooth the forward path.

Sometimes, Ball notes, the Alzheimer Society doesn’t get approached until the caregiver is in crisis mode, which is unfortunate.

“A little education can make a huge difference. We can take some of the load off. The earlier you get connected with the Alzheimer Society, the easier this journey will be.”

For some, Music for Memory can be a way of easing that journey.

More information about the Alzheimer Society, its services, and what one can do proactively to ensure good brain health, can be found at https://alzda.ca/.