Reaching out to people struggling with dementia

1. Reaching out to people struggling with dementia

2. Introduction • Lost Chord is a charity established in 1999 in an attempt to help improve the quality of life of those struggling to live with dementia. • We use highly trained professional musicians to help stimulate responses, in particular from those who can’t walk, talk, feed themselves or communicate in any way. • We have achieved some amazing responses. • The last 12 years have been an exciting journey of discovery into dementia – a huge learning curve for all of us.

3. Elsie’s first lesson

4. Mary - you’d think she’d played all her life

5. She had never played the piano before

6. Why Lost Chord exists • The initial funding came from Henry Smith’s Charity for a three year pilot scheme. • We started in in 1999 with just 10 Social Services homes. • We now visit more than 110 homes and day centres on a regular monthly basis. • Each month we build on the responses achieved in previous successive sessions.

7. Our understanding of the impact of music on people with dementia. • We are all aware that there are two sides to the brain - left dealing with speech, original thought etc - Right dealing with music/song, learning in rote • For whatever reason (there seems to be no explanation) with the onset of dementia the left side appears to deteriorate first. • Therefore when the ability to speak coherently has died off there is a distinct possibility the right hand side is still intact.

8. Lost Chord uses music to stimulate the right side of the brain thereby achieving some incredible responses. Hilda

9. The Thompson Sisters

10. Lawrence came to life with the music

11. Eleanor

12. He didn’t need asking twice

13. The simplest response can be so important

14. Observations • Dementia know no social barriers – There’s no statutory funding and there’s no cure. • To hear someone speak for the first time ,for us, is mind-blowing, but for them it gives back the self esteem they need to carry on in their battle against the disease. • Being trapped in a lifeless body is inevitably frustrating and humiliating • Music can in such a simple way overcome these feelings of frustration and humiliation. • It seems to reach into their very souls and unlocks that door behind which a frightened, intimidated and humiliated person hides.

15. Happiness – the greatest gift