Discover How Music, Art and Kids Playgroup is Helping People with Alzheimer’s Disease

It has been well known for many years that music and art have some quite amazing healing powers.

Now we are discovering that these modalities can reach those afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease—even those in whom the disease has progressed to the point of a patient who is comatose and non-responsive.

 Alzheimer’s disease is a disorder that attacks the nerve cells in the brain. It is progressive and causes nerve degeneration. This leads to memory loss (loss of short term memory occurs as the disease first attacks cells in the brain’s hippocampus).

Impairment of language, thinking and judgment progresses as the illness destroys neurons in the cerebral cortex, the outer layer of gray matter that covers each hemisphere of the brain, (and is primarily responsible for higher brain functions).

Alzheimer’s is also associated with changes in behaviour.

The nerve cells, or neurons, produce a chemical in the brain, called acetylcholine, which is a neurotransmitter, meaning it bridges the gap between neurons so that the nerve impulse can travel from one neuron to the next. In Alzheimer’s disease, the neurons lose their ability to connect with neighboring nerve cells which ultimately leads to nerve death.

Apart from the fact that regular moderate exercise has been shown to help the general well-being of sufferers it is by no means a cure. However, new research on the effects of art and music on those with Alzheimer’s shows that art and music reach areas of the brain that bypass language centers that have been damaged, to access and stimulate memories.

New neurological pathways of communication can be navigated through art.

A song heard that was long-forgotten can be recalled with the cherished memories that accompanied it, even in Alzheimer’s patients who are unresponsive. An article recently published in the Boston Globe states, “Making music, painting or dancing — and seeing or hearing it — may be the most effective treatment for dementia to date.”

Further evidence of how Art Therapy for Alzheimer’s enhances the quality of life for Dementia patients can be attributed to Dr. Daniel C. Potts who founded Cognitive Dynamics after his father Lester’s death in 2007. Lester, a rural Alabama saw miller, became a renowned watercolor artist while living with Alzheimer’s disease, despite having never shown any artistic talent prior to its onset.

The Alzheimer’s Association claims that art and music enrich Alzheimer patients’ lives, and stimulate engagement even with dementia that has progressed. Various organizations are now using these art forms to help reach Alzheimer’s patients.

An annual art contest for the elderly is held at senior centers by The Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA), in the hopes that producing art will stimulate their brains. A foundation called I’m Still Here created Artists for Alzheimer’s initiative (ARTZ), which enables over 10, 000 dementia and Alzheimer’s individuals to be present at various art events. These efforts have reduced symptoms and enhanced the lives of those living with Alzheimer’s.

People are also using the arts to reach Alzheimer patients. These patients wake up from states of unresponsiveness to become alert and responsive when they are exposed to art and especially, to music.

This type of “therapy” seems to be very powerful and the good news is, anyone is capable of helping a person with Alzheimer’s in this way.

Another area that has shown some very promising results in Australia recently is the starting of playgroups in aged care facilities. To find out more download this PDF from Dementia Care Australia…..it is well worth the read. They also have some more good information here: Playgroup: Bridging the generation gap with love.

If you are in the position of loving and caring for someone afflicted with this disease, then you can certainly dramatically influence the quality of that person’s remaining years.

References:
http://www.alzfdn.org/AboutAlzheimers/definition.html

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/cerebral+cortex

Music, Art and Alzheimer’s: Music and art can enrich the lives of people with Alzheimer’s disease. Both allow for self-expression and engagement, even after dementia has progressed.