21 February 2008

Using music to help stroke and dementia sufferers

The BBC recently reported on new findings from Finnish scientists, that said listening to music in the early stages after a stroke can improve a patient’s recovery. But music is not only beneficial for stroke victims. In our music report, Striking a chord, NPC talks about how one charity uses music therapy to help people with Alzheimer’s.

West Berkshire Alzheimer’s Society runs a series of group singing sessions called ‘Singing for the Brain’, where people with dementia and their carers come together to sing old favourites, as well as new and unfamiliar songs.

Alzheimer’s often results in an inability to communicate and express emotions, which can leave people feeling isolated and frustrated. As musical abilities are often the last to be lost in people with dementia (of which the most common form is Alzheimer’s), these groups can provide a unique way to communicate with people around them. One wife commented that, following the sessions her husband’s ‘personality started to change and he became much as he was before’.

• Click here to download Striking a chord
• Click here to download the West Berkshire Alzheimer’s Society charity recommendation

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