Article Highlights:
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As Alzheimer's disease takes hold of a person's brain and memories fade, one thing that seems to stay relatively fresh in the mind is music learned earlier in life, typically during childhood.
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"We remember things in different parts of our brain that are affected in different ways by the Alzheimer's process," said Dr. Neville Sarkari, the chief of medicine at Owensboro Medical Health System.
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According to the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function at New York's Beth Abraham Family of Health Services, auditory processing seems to be the last skill to go.
As Alzheimer's disease takes hold of a person's brain and memories fade, one thing that seems to stay relatively fresh in the mind is music learned earlier in life, typically during childhood.
Institutions across the country are using music to try to tap into areas of the brain buried by dementia. Alzheimer's disease is degenerative, but some experts think old songs can slow its progress by stirring up lost memories and possibly even restore some cognitive function.
"We remember things in different parts of our brain that are affected in different ways by the Alzheimer's process," said Dr. Neville Sarkari, the chief of medicine at Owensboro Medical Health System. "So even though we might not remember our own name or other people's, the recognition of music may come from a different part of the brain."
According to the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function at New York's Beth Abraham Family of Health Services, auditory processing seems to be the last skill to go. People with Alzheimer's may no longer recognize names or faces of loved ones, or meaningful events, but they can still sing a favorite tune.
Dorothy Lewis, a registered nurse who takes part in the Owensboro-Daviess County Daytime Alzheimer's Support Group at Hillcrest Health Care Center, agreed that late-stage Alzheimer's patients have perked up upon hearing music from years ago.
"It's been my experience ... they often retain many of the words as well as the melody of music learned by rote in early childhood," Lewis said. Alzheimer's patients may be "dozing in their chair (and) arouse when a popular tune is played or sung by others.
"Often, residents join in singing the tunes they hear. It is evident from their responses (such as) facial expressions, calm demeanor, lip movement or by keeping time with food movement."
The Alzheimer's Association notes that feelings, emotions and memories "sleep in the minds" of dementia patients, but accessing those have been difficult.
Lewis said religious hymns are among the best-remembered songs because the patients probably learned them as young children. Also, popular ditties like "She'll Be Coming Around The Mountain," and familiar tunes from their era in the 1920s, '30s and '40s.
"Music is a big part in the daily lives of our residents," Lewis said. "Usually the day starts by playing favorite old hymns as residents gather around the dining tables for breakfast.
"It is not unusual to hear several residents sing the tunes they are listening to."
When residents gather in large rooms, the staff incorporates music into activities.
"Music is a very special gift to those suffering from dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease," Lewis said. "They have lost so much of who they were to AD that it magnifies the value of music in their lives as they travel through various stages."
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