An estimated 5.2 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Alzheimer's Association. It is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. But music therapy can enrich the lives of those with Alzheimer's and can slowly bring back those faded memories, if only for a short time.
After 58 years of marriage, Nancy Keen started noticing that her husband, Jerry, wasn't able to complete the tasks he'd once done and couldn't recall some of their fondest memories, like singing together in the car. Not long after he saw the doctor, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
But when he started music therapy, those memories began to slowly return.
In the video, Suncoast Hospice music therapist Matthew Frederick visits the Keens' home. As Frederick begins to play "Take Me Out To The Ballgame," Jerry smiles and starts to sing along. It's touching to see that music quickly revives his mind.
"Music lights up all areas of the brain," said Frederick. "It's a full-brain experience. So the parts of the brain that are still healthy are able to be activated and triggered again."
For Nancy, this small moment gives her hope and joy.
"He sings all the words to the songs," she said with a chuckle. "Even the songs he doesn't know the words to."
"I think it helps. I think it helps," said Nancy Keen. "He gets very relaxed, too, and he enjoys it."
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