COLUMN: Dementia care - sometimes, the simple ideas turn out to be the best

By Sabrina Sweeney

MY GRANNY lived with Alzheimer’s for the last decade or so of her life. Like all who suffer with this horrible disease, she had trouble staying in the present.

Talk about things that had happened a couple of months or even just a few days previous would leave her confused and frustrated and she wouldn’t be able to fully participate in the conversation.

Put on a CD of Sandy Kelly songs, however, and she would soon be able to tell you, in no uncertain terms, that she wasn’t her cup of tea, or words to that effect.

That’s the thing about people with Alzheimer’s or Dementia; they may struggle to remember recent events or conversations, or the names and faces of loved ones, and yet remarkably they are still able to tap into musical memories – good or bad – long after the other types of memories have faded.

Seeing a loved one suffer from dementia can be a lonely experience for everyone involved

With increasing research into Alzheimer’s focused in the area of musical memory, studies are continuing to show that the areas of the brain involved in processing such musical memories are the last to go in people with the disease. Musicians with Alzheimer’s have shown at the highest level just how remarkable the brain is. Tony Bennett and Glen Campbell are just two that come to mind, who, despite having the disease, were able to perform on stage and recall the lyrics of hundreds of songs.

With this knowledge of the disease and the link with music, it makes sense that families might want to use song and dance to help their parent or grandparent feel more involved or even as a way to bond and reminisce with them.
I was intrigued by an initiative I heard about that’s been going on in Cork for a number of months as it sounded like it would be a wonderful addition to day centres and nursing homes throughout Donegal, too, to give people suffering from memory loss a more positive experience. Because, let’s face it, too many of us know the sad, vacant look in the eyes of elderly people sitting in nursing homes up and down the country.

The initiative is called Music and Memories and it was thought up by a public librarian in Cork City last year as a tool-kit to help trigger memories and conversations among dementia, Alzheimer’s and elderly patients. It’s a memory box made up of 20 photographs of Cork from the 1950s-1970s, 15 CDs featuring music that residents would have listened to when they were younger, as well as dementia-friendly books and a jigsaw.
The initiative is being financially supported by Cork City Council and each month the contents of the box are replaced and rotated between facilities for elderly people in the city. Librarian Margaret O’Sullivan said the boxes are triggering conversations among nursing home residents, about the old Cork they are seeing in the photos and the music and bands of the era.

They ask each other questions about places in the city and they’re having sing-songs in the nursing homes. It’s the kind of nurturing experience we’d all hope for should we face memory loss in the future.

Those with a family member suffering from memory loss, whether diagnosed as Alzheimer’s or Dementia, would do anything to help to improve the quality of interactions for their loved one. It can be a very lonely experience trying to connect with a family member who can’t remember names or who asks repeated questions about people or places they knew long ago and not having the answers.

It’s certainly a huge adjustment for families and being able to provide positive experiences can take its toll on those caring for elderly people.
The memory boxes being used in Cork are a simple idea but the template is there for anyone to create a collection of talking points, including music, that will provoke memories and conversations among people who are faced with these debilitating conditions.

Sometimes, the simple ideas are the best. Let’s hope this one is one we see supported by city and county councils throughout the country so more people can benefit.

Sabrina Sweeney’s ‘Fresh Take’ column is featured every Thursday in the Donegal News.

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