Dear Friends: If you are seeing this post, PLEASE take a few minutes and read it. Thank you. An estimated 5.2 million Americans are currently affected by Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. 1 in 3 seniors dies with Alzheimers or another dementia. Both of my Dad’s parents suffered from it for the last several years of their lives (both lived into their 90s). My Dad’s older brother seems to have suffered from it now for a few years and my Dad (at age 83) is now showing possible early signs of it as well. Sometimes I worry that if I live into my 80s, I may have to deal with these issues myself. It’s not a pleasant thought. LOVE is the single greatest gift known to humankind. I think that MUSIC is a close second. Last night I watched a remarkable documentary film entitled Alive Inside: A Story of Music and Memory. Its about one man’s quest to reawaken people confined to nursing homes who have long suffered from Alzheimers or other forms of dementia by exposing them to music from their own era. The results of Dan Cohen’s efforts have been nothing less than extraordinary. I haven’t cried that hard during a film in years. The film is on Netflix Instant. Please seek it out and watch it, when you have the time. I give it my highest recommendation. The cost of one I-pod shuffle and a decent pair of over-ear headphones is about $65.00. This represents just a fraction of what many nursing home patients’ daily medications cost. The benefits of music though are absolutely invaluable. You simply cannot put a price on recapturing old memories. Very soon, I hope to be able to find a local nursing home that uses his program. If there isn’t one, I hope to start one myself here in Santa Fe. This film is a call to action, and this country’s elderly deserve nothing less than all of our best efforts for them. After all, if you are fortunate enough, you’ll be elderly yourself one day. Someday I may need this program myself. I wonder about what songs and what bands would have the power to ‘reawaken’ me? Pink Martini for sure. Also Johnny Cash. But also Devo and Stevie Ray Vaughan and Wynton Marsalis and Mudhoney and Mark Lanegan and Neko Case and The Who and Thelonious Monk and Nirvana and Nick Cave and the list goes on and on and on. Music is as varied as humankind itself. Music is one of the absolute most cherished things in my life. It truly feeds my soul. It’s calming; it’s energizing; it’s comforting; it’s a dear friend. Its Everything. It is also one of the most effective emotional triggers known to humankind. Last night, immediately after watching this film, through tears, I started Emailing every musician that I know, telling them about the film but also thanking them for sharing their unique gift with the world. I often wonder if these people Really know just how important and appreciated they are. I really hope so. I certainly tell them and thank them as often as I can. And it’s not just the musicians either. It’s the music teachers too, like my sister, Joni. They are helping to shape future generations of musicians and that is incredibly admirable work. Thank you, Joni. If you know a musician or a music teacher, please thank them for sharing their gifts with the world. We are ALL better off, thanks to music. You can learn more about Dan Cohen’s program at: musicandmemory.org. You can also follow them here on facebook. Check out the trailer for Alive Inside: A Story of Music and Memory: https://youtube/watch?v=EgNLLelQYwI
Posted on: Tue, 18 Nov 2014 16:16:24 +0000
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