The Power of Music and Art on Those with Dementia: Featured Programs at Juniper Village at Naples

The term dementia describes the symptoms of memory loss and cognitive decline associated with many different conditions/diagnoses. Some of these diagnoses include:

• Destruction of brain cells such as with Alzheimer’s (the most common) and some other neurological diseases

• Vascular dementia which results from disruption of blood flow such as occurs with strokes

• Traumatic brain injury, which can include repeated mild to moderate concussions (as in some professional football players who have developed dementia) or a single very significant head injury

• Frontal-temporal dementia, affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain — the areas generally associated with personality, behavior and language.

• Long-term, chronic drug and alcohol abuse

With the various types of dementia, this process of information connection and retrieval is disrupted.

Recognize the value of some very new research and programs that seek to improve the lives of people living with dementia. Much of the current research focuses on the value of music, art, dance, and social connections in treatment of dementia.

Two of those incredibly valuable initiatives are featured here: Memories in the Making which is a program developed by the Alzheimer’s Association and Music & Memory a program developed by Dan Cohen and his organization of the same name.

Art Without Boundaries is an innovative program that enables persons with Alzheimer’s, stroke, brain injury and related disorders who are experiencing losses in their ability to verbally communicate their thoughts and feelings, to express themselves through art.  Certified facilitators help people with dementia – many of whom often have no art background – create drawings and paintings. These sessions provide participants social interaction and boost their self-confidence while opening the channels of communication with loved ones.

Art Without Boundaries has been part of our Juniper Village at Naples community for five years.   Each year we celebrate with an annual art show featuring the resident artists.

Research shows that persons with dementia, Parkinson’s and other diseases that damage brain chemistry can reconnect to the world and gain improved quality of life from listening to personal music favorites.

The power of music can spark compelling outcomes even in the very late stages of the disease. Research also concludes that music can shift mood, manage stress-induced agitation, stimulate positive interactions, facilitate cognitive function, and coordinate motor movements. This is due to the fact that rhythmic and other well-rehearsed responses are influenced by the motor center of the brain and require little to no cognitive or mental processing. A person’s ability to engage in music remains intact late into the disease.

In selecting music for a Music & Memory program, music from the individual’s young adult years (18 to 25) typically have the strongest responses and the most potential for engagement. As individuals with dementia progress into the later stages of the disease, music from their childhood, such as folk songs and nursery rhymes, work well.

Juniper Communities is proud to be part of both the Memories in the Making program through the Alzheimer’s Association and the Music & Memory program started by Dan Cohen. To learn more about these programs visit our website and download the full version of this white paper.