I have watched the film Alive Inside, a documentary that depicts the impact of music on the life of individuals with dementia. It was a lovely and inspiring film that reminded us that “there is a whole person behind the disease, which can be awakened by the right emotional connections.”

Watching the film, I felt the importance of a person’s connection to normal/familiar life. As we all know, individuals with dementia are constantly suffering from confusion about the world in front of them. Unfamiliar lifestyles and environments may add even to their confusion and anxiety, leading to behaviors that make their family caregivers or staff in the elder care facilities where they live suffer too. The film showed how music can bridge the gap between the familiar life buried in their memory and the unfamiliar living conditions they currently face. Familiar music provided a moment of sense of normalcy and familiarity, allowing people to make sense of who they were.

Learning from this experience, we should not stop at music but expand further to create a sense of normalcy in other matters, expanding the physical, sensory, and social environment available to people with dementia in their everyday world. Let’s start by simply start asking “What is your favorite music?,” and go on from there.

Thank you, Dan Cohen (and Ann Wyatt, my friend and Ibasho board member) for the inspiring message. I am so honored to know you!