Thank you for sharing this beautiful article about music and Alzheimer's. Music is such a powerful way to help people connect with the past. Other technologies may help individuals with Alzheimer's too.

What a beautiful and uplifting story. Thanks so much for passing on the details of Dan Cohen's project. I lost an aunt to Alzheimer's. Late in her illness I got her a rag doll that she would hold and keep on her lap. I thought it gave her some comfort. I wish I had thought about music for her.

I think this is fascinating and so inspiring. I teach a high school learning expedition that involves every 12th grade student in our school. They learn about aging, memory, dementias with a specific focus on Alzheimer's, caregiving, and intergenerational communication. I found this clip awhile ago and use it every year. The students feel so much joy when they see this man come alive - as first evidenced by his wide eyes! They keep this in mind when visiting with their assigned senior partners, most of whom have some form of dementia. I was so happy to see this on this website!

Music is definitely healing in our house. It used to be a family tradition that an uncle or neighbor with a guitar would accompany all the family and friends who gathered here for Christmas Eve while we sang, not Christmas carols, but old-time gospel songs. This always cheered my mother and seemed actually to energize her for days afterward. We cannot keep the tradition now, but we have found a different way to have the sing-alongs with just a couple of friends who join us, with or without a keyboard, to sing. I got a large-print hymnal for her that included the old-time songs. She loves to thumb through the hymnal to pick more songs to sing, reminisces about the tent revivals of her youth, and worries that her voice (at 92) is not what it used to be. We remind her that we all (all of us older than 60) are making a joyful noise. I don't notice as much of an improvement in her dementia on these occasions as I do an easing of her pain. For a few hours, she's happy, involved, and appears to be pain free. We no longer wait for Christmas to sing--we have a salad supper and singing every month now.

This is a beautiful story, and I love that this video has become somewhat viral. As a music therapist, I see this kind of stuff every day, and it's magical every time. Thank you for bringing awareness to this topic!