Listen to As Time Goes By from our music library.
Critical to maintaining quality of life for those with Alzheimer's is management of emotions and preserving the connection with others. Music is conducive to keeping those connections strong as long as possible while helping the participant to focus, increase awareness and orient to the environment.
As speech, writing and other traditional forms of communication are comprised, music provides an alternative means of connection. A number of research studies have looked at therapeutic music as an important adjunct to medical treatment and findings suggest a possible link between the use of music and slowing the progression of dementia.
From the rhythms of the heartbeat experienced in the womb to the stirring sounds of a marching band, rhythmic patterns and music surround us.
Language itself has a musical quality to it and from the beginning of mankind as expressed through chanting and drumming resembled music more closely than speech.
Music is primal to life and expressed by each of us every day whether through dancing to a favorite tune, keeping rhythm with a pencil or remembering a special time when hearing a forgotten melody. It is central to our lives and is embedded in our culture defining how we acknowledge milestones, rites of passage and celebrations as well as providing comfort, transformation and inspiration. Music links us to our world and provides a pathway back to our past.