But I didn't know this forum was here until today. Yes, from my own experience with my grandmother who had Alzheimer's, music had this same effect as she progressed through each stage of the disease. She loved Nat King Cole and Tony Bennett, so their albums got the most play, but I found any musical artist from her generation were just as good too. Unfortunately, it doesn't have any affect on the disease itself, but whenever we were doing something, like taking her with me to run errands in the car, and I put on her favorite songs, her face would light up in a way I hadn't seen since before the disease took hold of her. It can also be therapeutic for family members and caregivers because for that moment, it was like I had my grandma back again. For those reasons, personally, I think music should be part of any caregiving plan. All the books and internet articles for caregivers always talk about finding moments of joy in caring for the person -- well, this is an easy one. It doesn't have to cost anything, either. I created a Pandora station seeded with her favorite artists and songs and also found music videos on YouTube.
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