Music Memories and Dementia

My grandmother developed dementia toward the end of her life.  She had difficulty remembering who I was–at times not recalling that I was her granddaughter.  Yet, she could recall songs in their entirety.  Although the recollections of her present and more recent life were slipping away, her musical memories were intact!

I came across a fascinating article in the New York Times that describes the powerful role music can play in the lives of those afflicted with Alzheimer’s and dementia.  Click here to read it.

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Photo of my grandmother, Hildegard Meyer-Wendt, playing the lute (ca. 1928)