Is this typical? My wife does not remember anything of her childhood …where she lived, schools she attended, pets, names of friends, family experiences, etc. ... but she can remember the music and words to popular songs from the 50s and 60s. When we are in the car she sings along to recordings by Simon & Garfunkel, New Christy Minstrels, Kingston Trio … some lyrics that I do not even remember. I sometimes weep silently because it brings back memories of much better days.
It's typical that there will be something they remember that you can't believe they will! My husband doesn't remember his NAME half the time, or get our kids straight, yet he knows the plot of Sherlock Holmes stories we watch on TV, before we watch them (he WAS quite the S.H. buff in his day; his collection of books is valuable!)
My dad passed away in 2006. my DH attended the funeral services with my family and we were in total shock that he joined in the Lords prayer AND sang a few songs. out of the blue out of nowhere, he recalled them perfectly =we were extremely shocked but comforted. he has never done it since. on another note i was just reading today that the univ of california was doing research into music therapy and AD patients. and has found some astonishing info that the pre=frontal cortex of the brain is usually the last or non affected area of the brain in AD patients. this area links musical memories to the brain/ they are trying to determine if music may be the way to preserving longer cognitive abilities in advanced AD patients. they say to use music that your loved one liked before AD and it can trigger responses -divvi
Music has magical powers. It is said that classical music raises the IQ of children. One set of my children/grandchildren were raised with music and music paying in their rooms 24/7. They have perfect pitch and each one of them is gifted musicians.
How long ago, Divvi, was your DH diagnosed with AD?
susan-as you k now, FTD affects the frontal portion of the brain where we are talking about..maybe he cant stand music due to that cortex being affected? divvi
If any of you are interested, copy and paste this link -http://www.thealzheimerspouse.com/Conferencemusic.htm
It is a blog I wrote last June about a break out session I attended at a conference. It was about music therapy and the AD patient. It also has some other links in it related to music and AD.
My DH remembers lyrics to hundreds of songs and sings quite nicely. Can't remember what we did five minutes ago but music seems to stay with them for the duration. Probably is good therapy as it seems to calm my DH. This was true in the book A Curious Kind of Widow -- she sang with him a lot even at the late stages.
From the support group I have been too, yes music is one of the things they remember longest. I have an uncle who can sing every verse of hymns but doesnt not remember his family members. Recently we went to a humane shelter event that had music and hubby was dancing and singing and having the best time. I got some MP3s of old songs and burned them off on a CD for him to listen to. You know they have always said that music calms the angry beast so it might be worth tries on difficult times. Calming music helps me destress some too!
Music has always been important to my wife. Now, when she is in stage 6 and cannot carry out a conversation, she can sing along if she knows the song. Last week she even sang along with our church choir on a song she knew well. In the elevator last week she got the group, about 5 of us, singing "Show me the way to go home" as we rode up to our floors.
On another note, related to church - today was communion Sunday. This has always been a very important part of the service for her. In our church we each take a piece of bread, but don't eat it until every one has been served, then all eat at once. Same with the cup - we each take a very small cup of juice and hold it until every one is served. Today, when the bread was passed, I had to tell her several times to take a piece. Then with the cup, I had to stop her from drinking it before everyone was served. This is another sign of continued deterioration.
Yes I have to break off a piece of the bread for hubby and one for myself and get the little cup for him too. One day a big piece popped out on the bench I was somewhat embarrassed but not as bad as I would have a few years ago!
Since the breaking of bread and the cup of wine is communon with the LOrd you have my admirartion that you provide a means for your spo use to participate in such a sacrament.....YOu are a blessing to yo ur LO.
We went to a Beach Boys concert last year - Sid was on my left, and his friend, also with AD, was on my right. Besides the concert on stage, I was treated to a stereo duet of every word of the songs from the AD guys on either side of me. They can't remember what was said 5 minutes ago, but they knew the words to those songs.
Sid listens to the PBS specials of all the 50's and 60's Doo Wop (sp?) concerts, and knows all of the words of those songs too.
My husband has FTD and very poor short term memory, but he sings along to songs on the radio while we are in the car. I usually have the oldies channel on for him and he knows the words to songs that I didn't even know he knew. Actually before the FTD he could never remember more than a few lines of a song. He also would never dance anywhere. Now he will dance at home, the mall, etc. if he likes the song. I have read that FTD can bring out creativeness in certain individuals--either a love of music, becoming musical or artistic--such as drawing or painting.
My husband loves the Andrews Sisters and Glenn Miller music. I found a CD that had the "White Cliffs of Dover" and "A Nightengale Sang In Berkely Square" and The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B. He used to love that music. Not so much anymore, but I still play it when we are in the car. I like it, too!
In the late 80s I was a kitchen helper at an nursing home. When I would take the meals into the AD unit, they would have old songs and music playing. Since this was 20 years ago, this was music from the 30s and 40s. I asked about the music and the nurses said it is amazing the patients that will respond. Ones who never speak and/or did nothing but sit or walk would start humming or singing the songs. Music has a way of connecting with us deep in our spirit. They said it was the only way they knew there was still 'someone' deep inside. That was also my first experience of seeing people in the final stages of AD - blank, hollow eyes. My grandmother had senile dementia so never got to that point. Now my FIL is like those people wondering with blank, hollow eyes.
For my husband the highlights of our recent trip to Italy were the performance by a dance group of the tarantella and a walk through a hill top town with a musician. People came out of their homes to join in the singing and dancing and my husband was right in there. I had not seen him so happy and engaged for a long time.
One of our granddaughter's stayed w/hb for an hr or so today while I ran a couple errands in town because he can't be left alone. This is what she wrote on her "social network" I just noticed: "My Grandfather with dementia is playing the aria from The Marriage of Figaro on the piano. The human mind is a beautiful and incomphrensible thing." We know it is, don't we?
Wow Zibby that is a beautiful tear-jerker, How special for them both. Funny Jim always made fun of me liking country music, then when he became ill, he couldn't stand any noise yet could wear headphone and listen to the Moody Blues for hours ?????? Near the end he spent most of his time watch Country Music Videos and Liking It! Go figure......................
My DW was a music major in college more specific a voice major. When we were married she got me to go to church with her and soon we were both in the choir. That was 20 yrs ago. We are still in the choir. I am a bass and sit with her in the soprano section. She can not find the sheet music or keep up with what song is next. I just hand her the music and she is ok at that point. She still has a very strong voice and she is able to sing the Messiah with out music.
She does not like the stress of thinking she is lost in the service. We plan to keep doing this till it is too much. I think getting ready and getting her dresses for church and getting the music for both of us is getting a bit much. We will just see how it goes.
I have been taking a CD player and the soundtrack from Jersey Boys to the ALF to play for my husband. Stage 6, he still enjoys music a lot. Last week when I was watching the Kennedy Center Honors, it reminded me that he was a big Neil Diamond fan. Today I found an old Neil Diamond tape and one by Lionel Richie, another of his favorites. I'm playing the Lionel Richie one now to see if I can keep from breaking down while it's playing--brings back so many memories. If I can get through it, I'll take these to the ALF to play as well. The recreational therapist never plays music for baby boomers, the rest of the residents are older.
As I am setting here reading these post about music my dh is dancing in the living room. He too loves music and even tho he has very very limited vocabulary, he can sing parts of some songs. I really enjoy it when he does this. I love music so we have it on everytime we get in the truck and go some where. Sometimes all we do is I drive, we listen to music, and he dances in his seat while I smile like there is no tomorrow. Yes, this does bring tears to the eyes but what beautiful memories we are building.... Bless all of you. Goodnight.
Music? YES! One of the things I think most dementia friends enjoy most. I played CDs while hb dressed, got ready for bed, etc. Have taken those CDs to the Care Center for staff to play for him. Quite a bit of music going on there and in our support group. Music therapy CDs are available, too.
Yes, Rich can remember all the words to songs from the 60's-90"s and LOVES music. I don't even remember half the songs much less the words. When he was in the psych hospital and was pacing non-stop 24/7, I suggested that they get a radio for his room and play music-I knew it would calm him. Unfortunately by the time they got approval for the radio and figured out how to make it safe for the residents (the electrical cord can be used to choke someone) he was discharged.
When he was in the ALF, they had alot of music-in the am after breakfast, live performers. Unfortunately due to the average age in most ALFs, the music is geared towards the 40's.
LFL--I find that Steve still enjoys older music too (from my parents' era). It will be interesting to see if he has a different reaction to the singers that were his favorites. Also, it will give me a new topic for my mostly one-sided conversations with him!
My spouse is a professional musician. His musical abilities have stayed so well intact that even though he's around Stage 5, regular fans still have no clue he has Alz. His intact musical ability is why it had taken so long for friends and family to believe my observations of his developing symptoms when he was in the earlier stages of the disease.
Isn’t it strange what they remember? My DH doesn’t know which room is which in our house. BUT while we were riding in the car the song “Little GTO” came on the radio (we both are products of the 60’s music scene) & he knew that the (I guess I’d call it the refrain) was WAAA – WAAA, WA WA WA WA WA (those of you who remember the song will know what I am talking about) & he sang it before it even came on! We both love to dance & sometimes we have the oldies playing & we will slow dance in the living room. But sometimes I just can’t bring myself to dance with him because it makes me think that “oh he isn’t so bad” until he does something that makes me realize “YES he is!”
Another interesting fact about music, I've found, is that it sticks to (recent) memory in ways that other aspects of life do not. Jeff was not familiar with (for example) the musical Les Mis when I got started on a Les Mis kick (which I'm still on) a couple years ago. After seeing the musical with the family a couple times and having me play it repeatedly in the car he knows exactly when to expect the crescendo in "One Day More," or the how to tap out the backbeat in "Master of the House." He has no clue about the words...those don't stick in his memory at all, but the music and the beat sure do.
my DH still claps his hands or moves his feet if he hears any type of music.even while lying in bed. and hes pretty far into stage 7.. i agree musical and hearing may be the last to go.
My DW also still responds to music, smiling, laughing and humming. Since she has reached the stage where she says very little, if anything, it's comforting that she still gets pleasure from music. One interesting theory I have read on the subject is that not only is the ability of music retained in several different sections of the brain, it is also present in the brain stem. Seems to make sense to me since the brain stem is one of the last locations to be typically attacked by this disease.
One woman in my hb's unit gets the beat right for every tune played and keeps it up. When a woman from the community comes in to play the piano every Tuesday a.m., friend from unit gets a front row seat and helps her keep the beat:)
i have started cutting the tv off at bed time and cutting on the cd player , it is still not a perfect relaxation but alot better then the tv. bobby is late 6 to early 7 stage and still remembers and enjoys his music.
Music brought my DH and I together and it continues as a bond for us. He can still play the saxophone in our local community band and I drive him to rehearsals every week. Fortunately, some of the band members know of his issues(I think they might have seen it before I did) and help keep him on track if necessary. I've decided he won't play in any concerts anymore as it is too confusing for him. Every time we go out in the car he brings along 4-5 CD's to play, even if we only drive 10 minutes. Next week we're going to see Ricky Nelson's sons play in a tribute show and I know DH will enjoy it. At least there is still something we share and I hope we will until his very last breath.
BLN & Elaine K, my DH was a professional musician, he played oboe all through high school, went to Peabody on full scholorship and then the Beatles happened so he then turned it in for a bass guitar. He toured with "Dion" and played with local bands for 20 some years. He is stage 6, can't put a sentence together HOWEVER, his high school music teacher who is in his 80' s comes over once a week and they play duets. Ed plays trumpet DH plays oboe. While he can't play like he use to, he still can sight read and it truly is amazing! Our neurologist told us that music comes from a back portion of the brain and does not require verbal communication and that is why he can still accomplish playing. He can also still play bass, but can't figure out how to plug in the amp and cord to his guitar. I would love to see a study done on AD and music. Unfortunately, he is now constantly tapping, feet, fingers ......drives me crazy. Maybe they could start a band?
We attended a Glen Campbell concert this week. It was so enjoyable and he still has the great voice. He said all he wanted to do was "pick and sing" and he did just that. His children are his band and they adore their dad as the expressions on their faces showed. We were close to the stage and one time he became upset that his guitar was either not the one he wanted or was not tuned as he wanted. That was the only time I could recognize he has az as he was on the edge of a rage. I've witnessed rages at my house unfortunately and immediately saw what was going to happen. His children stepped in and his lovely daughter said "just play dad" and she began her part on Dueling Banjoes and he picked it up and went right on. I'm sure his music is his outlet as it has always been his life. He shows that az people can function - for awhile anyway and he is bringing some awareness.
Flo, that's great you caught the Glen Campbell concert. My spouse keeps saying he wants to play with Glen Campbell. He keeps asking me how we can get in touch with him. ;-)
Elaine & Rosiek, it's nice hearing from other spouses of pro musicians. I drive my spouse to gigs and set up his equipment. He often thinks his equipment is "broken" because he can't figure out how to set it up. So, in his eyes, I'm a genius (his words!) for being able to repair equipment before the band starts playing.
I should have told you that this concert was a Christmas gift from one of our sons. it was scheduled early in December but rescheduled because Mr. Campbell had laryngitis. that one would have been the third of his concerts in three nights. It was fun to get out and dh enjoyed it so much.
This thread made me realize how much I miss singing. Not as a professional, just singing at home or in my car. I used to work a substantial part of the time at home and would sing to myself, the cats, the dog. It was a great stress relief.
H is very sensitive to music. It does not seem to comfort him at all; quite the opposite. So, no more singing at home.
He and I are approximately the same age, and "came of age" in terms of music in the late 70's-1980's. Our first exposure to comtemporary music was Moody Blues (as mentioned on this thread by SusanL), Pink Floyd, David Bowie; that general genre.
As LFL mentioned here, music in the ALF's trend to the average age of their residents. One I visited featured a seasonal performance that included traditional music- beautiful but very loud. On the other hand, a locked AZ unit had music what I would describe as Gregorian chants. Soothing; maybe chosen for the repetition?
As the demographics of residents changes, I wonder if the music will too, or at least be more inclusive.
Just reading this thread now. At DC where DH is going to attend, he was asked what Music he liked..Roy Orbison he said....so they showd him some RO CD's there for him to enjoy. Christmas morning we played RO CD's, and we both got so emotional we sat and cried together... Has Glenn Campbell got ALZ?....I just mentioned that to DH, and he was shocked!
Rosiek, as former professional musician myself, I like to think of myself as a roadie, but not a groupie! ;-) My spouse is a drummer. Mostly 50s & 60s rock n' roll nowadays, but also played a lot of jazz back in the 80s and early 90s. Well-paying jazz gigs in our region seemed to dry up in the mid-90s.