MUSIC FOR THE SOUL
ABOUT MY PROJECT
Alzheimer's Disease and the Gold Award
Alzheimer's disease is a global problem with no known cure. My grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer's 7 years ago. Since then, this issue has been very close to my heart. Music is one of the best possible therapies for people with Alzheimer's, but it can be hard to use. Often, Alzheimer's patients forget how to use remotes, mp3 players, phones, and CD players, making it difficult to bring music into their lives. For my Gold Award, I decided to bring music to the lives of people with Alzheimer's in my community. I prepared specialized music players designed for people with Alzheimer's and created unique playlists for each resident of a local care facility. Browse this site to find out how to bring music to the life of someone with Alzheimer's in your community.
“Where words fail, music speaks.”
Hans Christian Andersen
MY GRANDFATHER AND I
My grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer's 7 years ago. Since then, I became a stranger to my grandfather, he forgot my name, he forgot my face, he even stopped speaking. But he loved music. My family and I were unsure what kind of music he liked, so we played music from the 50's for him. Every once and awhile, that song would come on, that song that brought him back for a little while, that song that made him smile. He never said anything, but the twinkle that returned to his eye at that perfect tune spoke volumes. My experience with my Grandfather not only inspired this project, but also allowed me to communicate well with the residents of Homestead Assisted Living.
