Music for Memory Care Patients

This story starts with Jayantibhai M. Patel, my grandfather who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. In the beginning, he would just forget his way back from the bathroom; now, he rarely remembers my own name (Anup). Watching his illness get worse made me feel helpless. I constantly was thinking of what I could do, until the day in my history class when we watched the documentary "Alive Inside."


The documentary displayed a group of volunteers bringing music to dementia patients in nursing homes. Using music from their adolescence, the volunteers provided a catalyst to the patients that brought back a part of their old self,  whether it was through singing, dancing, or a simple smile. This often caused nearby family members to break down in tears of happiness and nostalgia.


After this documentary, I approached my friend Kris about replicating this at a local nursing home - after months of one-on-one contact with all the residents, we've successfully identified each resident's preferences and now need funding to provide MP3 players and headphones to be able to provide the music 24/7 to them. We hope you consider donating, and thank you for listening to our story.