How does music and singing help to treat one of the largest diseases on the planet?

Is music good for your health? Do you think it could almost suppress one of the largest diseases on the planet – Alzheimer’s? Well there is a lot of evidence to show that it can.

My interest in dementia and its treatments started with my nan, as she had both Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia. At her care home, I discovered the changes that the residents experienced when music was playing. One moment, silent, and looking miserable. But the next, when the music was turned on, they were excited, and singing every word to the song. It was amazing to see the change in mood of those with Alzheimer’s, and so I decided to delve a little deeper into this miraculous treatment.

So, what really is Alzheimer’s disease? And how is it different from dementia? I didn’t know too much about the topic either before I researched it on the ‘Alzheimer’s Society’ website, which was brilliant in clarifying the details. Alzheimer’s is a disease affecting the brain that can cause the development of dementia, and dementia is the name given to the set of symptoms experienced by the people themselves, like the memory loss and worsening of cognitive abilities. There are also different types of dementia, the most prominent of which (after Alzheimer’s) is vascular dementia and it affects around 150,000 people in the UK. Vascular dementia is caused by strokes that kill many cells in the brain. This will lead to memory loss and perhaps difficulty speaking. All these examples, however, have a surprising treatment.

Singing!

Alzheimer’s Society have put a lot of time and resources into musical research to help improve the lives of many with dementia in the UK. An excellent example of this is a project that they funded which investigated the true benefits of singing if someone has dementia. A grand total of £399,708 was spent on this, showing the desire to find out more about this amazing treatment. This clearly shows how important they value music as a help for people with dementia and illustrates how this needs to be rolled out across the country, in order to let some of the elderly enjoy their lives right until the end.

I have indeed had some experience in this practice, as I went with my Beaver group to Elizabeth Court – a care home for the elderly and older people with dementia in Caterham – to sing campfire songs to the residents. The Beavers (6-8 year olds) entertained them with their singing (accompanied by my limited singing ability) and the residents loved them. This made me see first-hand the great effects of singing with people with dementia and especially how enthusiastic they were about the music (and us – of course!).

‘Singing for the Brain’ is definitely an amazing way of allowing people suffering the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, or any of the other diseases, to enjoy their lives.

For more information about Alzheimer's, please visit the Alzheimer's Society website: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/