<
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/health/article/memory-choir-auditory-dementia>
"The performers enter Sundin Music Hall arm in arm, lavender scarves draped
around their pressed white shirts. It’s nearly showtime, but the eager
singers—a constellation of community members, some young but many old and
bespectacled with gray hair—find a few minutes to hug and chat, clinging
tightly to their binders of music. These are the 68 members of the Giving Voice
St. Paul Chorus, ready for their spring concert.
They’ve been preparing every Tuesday for the past four months, learning to belt
out favorites like “Singin’ in the Rain” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”
After a final hour-long run-through, the choir files backstage and the
auditorium seats fill with hundreds of onlookers. Young children follow behind
adults, their eyes scanning the stage for the grandparent they have come to see
perform.
Those attending their first Giving Voice concert may not know what to expect—it
is a dementia-friendly choir, meaning many of the participants have some form
of dementia and are joined onstage by caregivers and loved ones.
Giving Voice, a nonprofit dedicated to helping people in all stages of memory
loss, was founded in 2014 with an initial chorus of 35 members. There are now
more than 70 “memory choirs” throughout the world that use Giving Voice’s model
as the foundation for their programs—and a slew of similar dementia-friendly
choirs and bands, including Music Mends Minds, AlzheimHER’s Chorus, and The
Unforgettables Chorus.
The premise of these memory choirs is simple but powerful: Making music is not
just a feel-good community activity; it’s also a powerful weapon to help
preserve memories and enhance brain function.
Over 55 million people worldwide are believed to be living with dementia,
including Alzheimer’s disease. Nearly 10 million new cases are diagnosed
globally each year. In 2022, Alzheimer’s disease was the sixth leading cause of
death among people 65 and older in the United States. There is no cure, and
some current treatments for the disease may have potentially serious side
effects. So families are often left looking for new ways to cherish their time
together and try to slow the disease’s progression.
Some are finding hope in song."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
