By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Music is being used to unlock the memories of some senior citizens in Bowling Green.
And with the help of some young college students, many more of the seniors will soon be listening to jazz, gospel, classical, or whatever they please.
“For those who have dementia, sometimes they have a hard time communicating,” said Brooke Harrison, administrator at Bowling Green Manor.
But music can be the magic that allows them to grasp some of those missing memories.
“There are a lot of memories tied to music,” said Andrea Daley, resident service coordinator at BG Manor. “You can actually notice an immediate change” in some seniors when they put on headphones and listen to tunes.
A Human Development and Family Studies class at Bowling Green State University focused on adult development and aging this past semester. With professor Laura Landry Meyer, the class learned about music and memory, and heard about an innovative therapy approach at BG Manor which used music.
The students were moved by the program and wanted to help it grow. So they collected iPods, headphones and monetary donations with the original goal of raising $250.
They far exceeded their goal – collecting $713, nine iPods and 10 headphones for the senior facility.
Erica Rybak, a student in the class, explained that she and her classmates were so moved by a video they watched of a man with dementia whose memory was unlocked by music from his past.
“This man totally lit up. He was so happy. He had tears streaming down his face,” Rybak said. “It was very special.”
Though non-communicative for years, the music allowed him to talk about those he cared about. “He spoke about his family,” she said. “That was the inspiration behind all this.”
Some BGSU Marching Band members play at BG Manor.
Meyer said using music in such a way can allow seniors to reach back and find long lost memories.
“It increases the quality of life for residents,” she said.
Meyer explained that Alzheimer’s Disease eats away at connections in the brain, and somehow music can bridge those gaps.
“Music jumps over dead pockets to reconnect places in the brain,” she said.
The gift of music to BG Manor residents on Thursday also included a performance by some members of the BGSU Marching Band led by classmate Tiffany Payne.
