Dementia patients gain emotional, social and intellectual benefits from innovative music program

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Dementia patients gain emotional, social, and intellectual benefits from innovative music program

Live concert, lecture series was designed for people with neurocognitive disorders and their caregivers

• Musical Museum creates safe spaces to listen to music, learn historical context, socialize
• Study participants said:
  • Series 'provided peace, relaxation, occasionally a cathartic release of tears'
  • 'I loved the concert and the selections as well. I especially loved the historical context about the pieces - it made me appreciate the new pieces more and understand the ones I already knew more.'
• 'Processing of music stays intact for a long time for dementia patients,' said scientist musician

CHICAGO - Growing evidence suggests lifelong learning can help combat cognitive decline, but many older adults with dementia avoid traditional classes for fear of not keeping up.

To address this gap, Northwestern University researchers created the Musical Museum, a live concert and lecture series designed specifically for people with neurocognitive disorders and their caregivers. (View full videos of all previous concerts)

A new paper detailing the program, developed by the Northwestern Music and Medicine Program (NMMP), found it improves emotional well-being, intellectual stimulation and social interaction. Via surveys, participants reported high satisfaction and significantly improved mood following sessions.

"This program provided peace, relaxation and occasionally a cathartic release of tears," reported one participant. Others expressed appreciation for the program's social benefits, with one participant calling it "a wonderful opportunity to expand our contacts with individuals undergoing similar experiences."

The paper will be published July 20 in Frontiers of Neurology.

"Music stays intact for a long time for dementia patients, so the Musical Museum is a very good way for them to emotionally regulate and provide intellectual and cognitive stimulation," said NMMP director and corresponding author Dr. Borna Bonakdarpour, a classically trained pianist who performs in many of the concerts. "We always want to keep their brains engaged."

Bonakdarpour also is an associate professor of behavioral neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a Northwestern Medicine behavioral neurologist. He and study author Clara Takarabe developed the Musical Museum during the COVID-19 pandemic to continue enrichment for isolated patients with dementia.

How the Musical Museum works

The innovative series - which draws an average of 50 attendees per event - creates safe, stimulating spaces in which individuals with neurocognitive disorders, their caregivers and other program supporters experience hourlong sessions with diverse music (both familiar and unfamiliar), enhanced by verbal introductions providing historical and musical context. One participant said via the survey, "I especially loved the historical context about the pieces. It made me appreciate the new pieces more and understand the ones I already knew more."

Receptions following the concerts encourage social interaction, which can be limited among this population.

"It's common for individuals with dementia to isolate because they might feel nervous or embarrassed, especially if their language has declined, so this is a great way to get them out, and it's a nice opportunity to see them outside the clinical setting," Bonakdarpour said.

Participants in the paper attended 11 sessions, which spanned musical genres including bossa nova, jazz, baroque and more. Each Musical Museum session was built around a theme that integrated philosophical concepts such as love loss and time, with culturally significant periods for older adults (notably the 1960s and 1970s).

Familiar music was defined as music that would have been popular during the audience's early to late adolescence, which previous research has shown may improve autobiographical memory and self-consciousness, and reduce agitation. Unfamiliar music was generally tonal and possessed melodies that were culturally diverse and at times based on traditional folk tunes from a variety of geographical regions.

"We decided to call it a museum because we treat each piece of music as if it's something that's curated for a museum," Bonakdarpour said. "We merge science and creativity and provide a lifeline to those navigating the challenges of cognitive decline, creating joy and connection through art."

The study is titled "Musical Museum: an integrative approach to emotional, intellectual and social stimulation for individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders and their caregivers." Other Northwestern authors include Jonathan Zhao, Melanie Zhang and Catherine Vidano.

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