iPod and Brain Project.
November 18th 2010 23:49
Signature Tune
BENNINGTON -- November is National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, and with the occasion comes the return of a series of events on dementia at the VermontVeterans Home.
On Tuesday, a packedaudience attended a presentation by geriatric psychiatrist Dr. Susan Wehry in the home’s Crispe Multipurpose Room on the power of music in enriching the lives of and reconnecting with those suffering from dementia.
Wehry questioned what the real main draw of the evening was: her presentation of the latest neuroscience behind the power of music, the live music of The Catbird Trio, which immediately preceded her talk and featured Veterans Home medical director Dr. Peter King on guitar, or the 10 iPod Shuffles that were being raffled away that evening to members of the audience and residents of Freedom Village.
"I want to share what is the most fun project I’ve been involved with in a while now," said Wehry. "It’s the iPod and Brain Project."
Wehry said that the project was based on work by Dan Cohen and Ann Wyatt of the nonprofit organization Music and Memory, and research from Concetta M. Tomaino, director of the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function. It’s not just about providing music to patients with dementia, Wehry explained, but about providing a personalized playlist of songs specifically tailored to that patient’s life.
"People who work in the field of long-term care have known for
a long time that music is more than entertainment -- music has a way of reaching people who have been silenced," Wehry said.
"Music has the ability to affect us on a cognitive level, an emotional level, a spiritual level, and absolutely on a physical level Š Music reaches every part of our brain, as well as our soul -- wherever that’s located."
Brain scans have revealed activity throughout the brain as a person listens to music they recognize.
"Immediately when a person remembers a song, they remember some biographical information. You hear a song, and you might be immediately transported to your high school prom, your first date, your first kiss -- whatever was your best kiss Š Music has the ability of not only being recognized, but triggering biographical or personal information," Wehry said.
Wehry said that Alzheimer’s Disease did not strike all areas of the brain at once, and that the ability to respond to music could be retained for a very long time. The medial prefrontal cortex, she said, was something of a hub for listening, language, and movement.
"This is the very last part of the brain to be affected in Alzheimer’s Disease," Wehry said. She said that the first to go was the area for short-term memory. "The thing I’m so excited about with this music project is that it taps into people with dementia Š it allows them to not only remember, but it allows them to reconnect," with past experiences and loved ones.
Because of the multi-faceted response by the brain to music, Wehry said that dementia patients "who may no longer be able to recognize their families, say their own names, or use words, can still sing."
The goal of the Music and Memory organization and the iPod and Brain Project, Wehry said, was to expose dementia patients to music where "every song they hear is one of their favorites." The resulting research, she said, has found "regular exposure, not only to music, but your personalized favorite music, improves attention, aids recall, reduces agitation, and this increases positive effect -- another way of saying, it decreases depression."
"Most evocative for people with dementia is music from their teen and early adult years," said Wehry. She said that researchers reasoned that these are the years of self-discovery, when everything is tagged "very important" by the brain. If the musical tastes of the patient aren’t known, Wehry said to begin with popular music from when the person was between 13 and 25.
"This is not a matter of downloading 100 songs, passing it off to someone with dementia, and saying, enjoy," Wehry said. She said that the process involves the caretaker sitting down with the patient, listening to the music, and seeing their reaction. "Feeling it out, making the playlist better. So it’s interactive," she said.
Wehry said family members shouldn’t approach the effort with a negative attitude. "It’s not about remembering what an iPod Shuffle is. Let’s play the music, let’s see what he remembers about that. We go with what a person can do, not with what they can’t do Š it only matters that when he turns it on, that he enjoys it."
Wehry said she wanted to make it clear that while she was talking about using music therapeutically; it wasn’t music therapy -- which is its own specialized discipline.
Following Wehry’s presentation, the 10 iPods were raffled -- five to residents of Freedom Village and five to members of the audience Tuesday. Four computers were set up in the rear of the room, ready to transfer music onto the iPods for audience members interested in getting started with their loved ones.
Wehry followed Tuesday’s presentation with another talk on Wednesday for the patients and staff of Freedom Village.
The next Alzheimer’s Awareness Month event at the Veterans Home is Tuesday, Nov. 30, at 6 p.m. Maggie Lewis, director of programs and services for the Vermont Alzheimer’s Association, will give a presentation on early detection and the 10 warning signs of dementia. The event is free and open to the public
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