All people need engaging activities to keep them active and engaged in the world around them. This includes those with dementia. One of the most accessible forms of mental stimulation and engagement is music. Last week I was at a jazz club, in which a lady brought her father to come listen to the music. Her father was in his eighties, used a walker, and had dementia. Which I didn’t know at first.
I sat there, listening to the music, enjoying a cup of tea, and realized the woman next to me was crying.
“Hey, are you okay?” I leaned forward and asked her.
The woman turned to me and started to laugh a little, then covered her eyes for a moment while she wiped them. She shook her head and said, “Sorry. I’m just here with my dad.”
I looked over to her father, who sat snapping his fingers and shaking his head. He was nodding and making humming noises. Seemed like a happy older gentleman to me. “Oh, okay. Is everything okay?” I asked.
“Well, he just has barely spoken in weeks, month’s maybe. And he mostly just sits around.” She paused and teared up again. “And I was encouraged to bring him here to listen and he likes this!” she pointed to him and started laughing, a look of disbelief on her face. Her father continued to hum and snap, swaying his shoulders a little as he really got into the music. According to his daughter, he was a completely different person that night, and I believed her. We chatted for a little while longer about her father, his dementia, about their experience. I teared up myself. It was such a beautiful thing to witness and to share.
I encourage anyone who is caring for someone with dementia to bring music into their lives. Whether it’s on the television, a CD, an old record or live music really opens up the heart and mind. It’s a beautiful thing!
