Alzheimer’s disease is associated with impaired cognitive function and significant and gradual memory impairment, to the point that the patient is unable to perform even the simplest of routine tasks.
However, it has been proven that there is a memory that this serious disease cannot delete in the vast majority of patients, according to the Walla website.
Finally, viewers around the world were thrilled to see the joint performance of 95-year-old American singers Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga.
Tony Bennett has been suffering from dementia in recent years, and it was exciting to see how back on stage he was able to recognize Lady Gaga during their performance and call her by her name.
It was even more exciting when the melody started playing, the words came back to him, he moved to the sounds of the music and he was back to being the vocalist he was in the past. The next day he didn’t remember the show at all.
https://youtu.be/x8BeKY9trSw
This surprises many, but it is in fact a very familiar phenomenon in the field of music and dementia research.
Although the disease is widespread and results in widespread neurological impairment, the ability to remember music, sing and play is preserved even in the advanced stages of the disease, and with music other memories also appear.
Dementia is the collective name for degenerative brain syndrome, and Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia.
It is a long and continuous process of memory loss, reduced ability to judge, and impaired daily functioning. Even routine activities such as eating, leaving the house or showering can provoke resistance in Alzheimer’s patients and greatly challenge the caregiver.
In addition, one of the main functions impaired by the disease is the verbal function, as patients are left speechless and unable to communicate, and this is where music enters the picture.
In music therapy, the therapist uses the power of music to enable communication and influence a variety of cognitive, emotional, and social functions.
Music affects people with dementia in two seemingly contradictory channels: on the one hand, it can calm and help anxiety and reduce treatment resistance.
On the other hand, it can evoke a motor response, memories, and connection. Proper use of music and incorporating it into daily care routines can help relieve the burden on primary caregivers.