Sigma Alpha Iota

PAN PIPES • SPRING 2017 • sai-national.org 16 HEALING WITH MUSIC SAIs Raise Voices and Funds to Benefit A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z I have been passionate about community service since I was a young Girl Scout spending Saturday mornings playing board games and talking to veterans at the Connecticut State Veterans Home. I visited the patients there for many years, through the end of high school. When I got to college, I joined Sigma Alpha Iota because it combined my two favorite things: music and service. is year, I brought Eta Mu to the Veterans Home to host a concert of Frank Sinatra tunes, which was very well received. Hearing popular tunes from years ago was more than just a fun event for the vets; it encouraged many of them to talk to us about how they grew up and their time abroad or to engage with people in general when they normally would not. My experience with war veterans is why Music & Memory sparked my inter- est so much. Music & Memory is a non-profit organization based in New York State that seeks to help people with degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, dementia, and a wide variety of other physical and cogni- tive challenges through music. Trained caregivers make personalized playlists for each of their patients to help trigger these memories from throughout their lifetimes, downloading them onto donated iPods. Since many people have such strong associations with emotions and events through music, it can evoke memories and improve the overall quality of life for many patients. Music selections from one's young adult years, ap- proximately ages 18-25, are shown to have the most potential for strong responses. "As we all know from hearing that song associated with a first love or leaving home for good, music is profoundly linked to per- sonal memories. In fact, our brains are hard-wired to connect mu- sic with long-term memory. Even for persons with severe dementia, music can tap deep emo- tional recall. For individuals suffering from Alzheimer's, memory for things — names, places, facts — is compromised, but memories from our teenage years can be well-preserved. Favorite music or songs associated with important personal events can trigger memory of lyrics and the experience connected to the music. Beloved music oen calms chaotic brain activity and enables the listener to focus on the present moment and regain a connection to others. Persons with dementia, Parkinson's and other diseases that dam- age brain chemistry also reconnect to the world and gain improved quality of life from listening to personal music favorites…" —"Brain-Music Connection" from musicandmemory.org Many studies now show music's positive effect on neurological func- tion. Oliver Sacks, M.D., neurologist and best-selling author of Musico- philia, was a major supporter of Music & Memory. In a video discussing Musicophilia, Sacks explains that the parts of the brain that respond to music are very close to those which deal with emotions, mood, and memory. is may be why familiar music brings back memories that would not be retrieved otherwise. Music & Memory also has similar sup- port from e Dementia Society of America and e Institute for Music and Neurologic Function. Sharing personalized playlists with elderly patients can do so much more than boost memory. Listening to music provides a satisfying activ- ity for those going through long medical treatments, such as dialysis, or who are bedridden. It can reduce agitation and resistance to care, and it

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