As you’ve no doubt experienced, a particular song can take you back to a particular place and time; you remember where you were when you heard it and what you were doing. The song itself allowed you to access the memory and without it, you wouldn’t of. Music, therefore, can facilitate memory recall.
A study conducted at the University of Florida confirmed that the benefits are not solely observed at the moment in time when sufferers are listening to, and enjoying, the music, but it actually affected them physiologically. They found that a music therapy programme raised melatonin levels and improved behaviour and sleeping problems.
Listening to familiar music can be both enjoyable and comforting; relieving stress and anxiety and improving mood. An old familiar or favourite tune can stir emotions and memories, putting the sufferer in a better frame of mind, and encouraging better social relations. Listeners become stimulated, clapping or singing along. In a group setting, the music may prompt listeners to reminisce about their past and interact with one another.
Whilst people with Alzheimer’s can lose the ability to speak or recognise loved ones as the disease progresses, but many remember songs from long ago. In the later stages of dementia, sufferers may not recognise family but may remember a song, and draw comfort from it.
It is not suggested, of course, that music can reverse awful effects of Alzheimer’s disease, but music therapy can complement other forms of treatment.
