About a month ago I had never even heard of the Music and Memory Program. In fact, I had no idea what I was even signing up for when I agreed to get involved. Everyone has listened to a song that instantly reminded them of some memory. Maybe it was directly connected to that song, or maybe it just reminded you of that time or that person. The awesome truth is, this doesn't stop happening with age. It doesn't even stop happening when patients are diagnosed with dementia. This is what the Music and Memory program was created for, to assist elderly and dementia patients with memory. iPods are given out to patients, with music from their generation, and they are then encouraged to listen to them frequently. Of course, listening to music does not directly cure dementia, but it is really amazing to watch.

A couple weeks ago I started visiting Fairhaven, an assisted living facility in Upper Sandusky, Ohio. I wasn't sure what to expect when I got there and really had no idea the profound effect it would have on me. Right away, we were talking with residents, asking them questions about their iPods and listening to music with them. It was fascinating, to me, just to see how many artists and specific songs some of these patients remembered. One of the patients we came across told us one specific song that was missing on his iPod. It was amazing, on an iPod shuffle full of 200+ songs he noticed one very specific song that was not present: Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison. We also got the opportunity to introduce the Music and Memory program to a patient who was new to the program. It kind of felt like Christmas, we created a playlist, took the iPod to this patient, and sat with him while he listened to it. Instantly, he started humming along and it was so awesome to watch. When I went back to Fairhaven for another visit we sat with a lady who was not very responsive to us. She would give mostly simple one-word answers or nod her head yes. However, when we started playing music for her she began to hum along, You Are My Sunshine. It was amazing.

Fairhaven has over 60 residents involved in the Music and Memory program and is only one of many other facilities that have adopted this program. I have been blessed with the opportunity to be involved with the wonderful staff and patients at this facility and have been overjoyed with what I have experienced in just a few short weeks. I cannot wait to see the impact music continues to have on these patients or the impact that these patients have on me.

For more information about the Music and Memory program check out their website: http://musicandmemory.org/