Music and Memory: Alive Inside
https://www.amazon.com/Alive-Inside-Dan-Cohen/dp/B00OPCF3EW When my grandmother was first diagnosed with dementia, my mother began researching the topic as a coping method but also because she wanted to be prepared for what was to come. She came upon a documentary called “Alive Inside: A Story of Music and Memory” which tells the story of the nonprofit organization Music and Memory providing music therapy for dementia patients. The documentary tells the stories of several patients and how the music therapy helped patients who had become catatonic be brought to life by the music of their past. We soon tested out this effect of music on dementia with my grandmother and found the connection between music and memory to be incredibly significant. As soon as the song “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree” by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando came on, it was like someone had opened a window and my grandmother took her first breath of fresh air in months. She instantly began humming and ...