SENIO RS
NEW PROGRAM
HELPS CAREGIVERS
REACH PATIENTS
THROUGH MUSIC
When Mary Collins, a caregiver support
coordinator at the Frederick County
Department of Aging, heard founder Dan
Cohen speak about the Music & Memory
Program during an annual Alzheimer’s
Association dementia conference, she
was intrigued.
She found out there are hundreds of
Music & Memory certified care facilities
throughout the U.S. and Canada, helping
thousands of people struggling with
dementia and other chronic cognitive and
physical impairments to reconnect with
family, friends and caregivers through
personalized digital music programs. And
she knew that the program would be great
in Frederick.
“It just felt like something we could and
should do,” she said.
So she and other staff at the Department of
Aging worked to bring the program here.
First, staff connected with a communitybased program in Utah, headed by Ellie
Goldberg at Jewish Family Services.
Goldberg was helpful in guiding the
Frederick County department to develop
a model that would work in Frederick
inside facilities and in the community.
Several Department of Aging staff
members were trained in the county, and
the department was certified as a Music &
Memory site in January.
The Music & Memory program cites
ongoing research and evaluation of its
work, showing consistent results, such as:
• Participants are happier and more social.
• Relationships among staff, participants
and family deepen.
• Everyone benefits from a calmer, more
supportive social environment.
• Staff regains valuable time previously
lost to behavior management issues.
According to the Music & Memory website,
there is growing evidence that a personalized
music program gives professionals one
more tool in their effort to reduce reliance
on anti-psychotic medications.
Care professionals learn how to set up
personalized music playlists, delivered on
iPods and other digital devices, for those
in their care. These musical favorites tap
deep memories not lost to dementia and
can bring participants back to life, enabling
them to feel like themselves again, to
converse, socialize and stay present.
Music & Memory’s work is rooted in
neuroscience research.
In Frederick County, so far the program has
been incredibly well received, according
to Collins.
“It took some time to get up and running
while we put the administrative pieces
together and built our music library—
which is ongoing,” she said.
There are currently four playlists developed,
and two caregivers are regularly using them.
The department gets regular feedback from
the individual or caregiver about playlists and
how they are working. Staff can delete songs,
add others, and constantly make changes
as necessary.
The idea is to put together a playlist of
music that is important to a dementia care
recipient that may help calm or soothe
them during times of agitation.
The department has received donations
of iTunes gift cards and iPods and
hopes to continue to build the program
to assist Frederick County seniors and
their caregivers.
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Find out more: musicandmemory.org
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FREDERICK COUNTY GUIDE | SUMMER 2016