Music therapy program helps dementia patients

Residents of the Gardens at Westlake learned to play xylophones and presented a concert for family and friends on July 24.

One year ago, an innovative music program called “Hear My Song” was introduced at the Gardens at Westlake for members in its Residence Club, a transitional memory care program geared toward early to moderate Alzheimer’s Disease or other dementias. Dr. Cameron Camp, Ph.D., from the Applied Research for Dementia Association, developed “Hear My Song” to teach people with early to moderate forms of memory loss, known as Mild Cognitive Impairment, to play musical instruments. This type of music therapy is shown to enhance the ability to retain short-term memory.

Linda Burgess directs The Residence Club and worked with Dr. Camp to bring the program to the Gardens. To commemorate the second anniversary of The Residence Club, residents put on a concert for family and friends followed by a celebration dinner on July 24. 

“Our residents are able to focus and participate in something they really enjoy,” Ms. Burgess remarked. “We are pleased to have implemented this program for our residents and look forward to seeing it grow.”

Laura Stump

Laura Stump is Outreach Coordinator at Gardens at Westlake, an assisted living senior community in Westlake. 

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Volume 6, Issue 17, Posted 9:48 AM, 08.19.2014