Benefits of Music from Cradle to Grave

 

A friend told me that her mother had dementia and could not speak, a condition known as aphasia. A year after the stroke, my friend took her mother to church on Christmas Day. To her amazement, her mother sang every carol and knew all the words. “That was my Christmas gift, to witness mother belting out those songs!”

 

I was not shocked, as musical memories are preserved in the brain area that remains undamaged by dementia. It is common for people with profound memory loss to remember and recall music memories. According to Dr. Ronald Devere, even when people have advanced dementia, musical connectedness may help maintain quality of life, as individual musical preferences are part of their lifelong personal history and identity (2017). He added that even when communication is lost, studies show that music is well preserved in the brain, and may improve behavior, mood, and brain functioning. Studies have shown that music is beneficial to older adults, enhancing morale and reducing depression.

 

Because music is a strong memory trigger, Hendy (2020) suggests promoting music education in early childhood education to begin collecting memories early to create a wellspring of musical recall that may impact their lives “far into the future” (p. 33). Hendy makes the case that music is beneficial “from cradle to grave in improving quality of life” (p. 36). Hendy conducted interviews with two older adults with dementia to understand their musical memories and Norma, age 85, remembered a song from her childhood: “We did the dishes every night and [my sister] Julie did the washing up and I did the drying up, and we would sing Pokarekare Ana and the washing up was done in next to no time flat. It was a good thing! You know, it has happy connotations, I’ll put it that way” (Hendy, 2020, p. 34).

 

As a gerontologist and caregiver, I have also witnessed the calming power of music. My mother, who had dementia and resided in a care facility, did not know me. In the day room, she asked me, “Are you one of the workers here?” and I told her I was. I asked her if she wanted to listen to music and she said yes. I put on a CD of Hawaiian music, and she started swaying and hula dancing in her wheelchair. She and my stepdad spent their winters in Hawaii and the music evoked happy memories of times gone by. Mother could not verbalize those memories. However, I knew immediately from her relaxed facial features and her smile that memories of Don Ho, leis, and hula dancing were retained far into the recesses of her brain. Like my friend, that was my Christmas miracle!

 

References:

Devere, R. (2017 June). Music and dementia: An overview. Practical Neurology. Retrieved from https://practicalneurology.com/articles/2017-june/music-and-dementia-an-overview

 

Hendy, B. (2020). Creating pathways: Why what you teach today will matter far into the future. Australian Journal of Music Education, 53(2), 33-37. Retrieved from EJ1272277.pdf (ed.gov)

 

Here is the song Norma and her sister sang:

Pokarekare Ana - New Zealand's Unofficial National Anthem

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAJYVyz9gA4