Retirement and the golden years can be a time filled with renewal and relief. The house might be paid for, you have time for projects that have been put off for years, and the kids are grown and no longer dependent on you for much more than a word of reassurance, a cup of coffee, and occasional babysitting. But aging has its distressing side. A loss of independence. Isolation. Illness. Physical, emotional, and cognitive setbacks take longer to recover from and can be devastating depending on their severity.
Dementia and Alzheimer’s cause gradual deterioration, and everyone feels the effects. As a loved one loses touch with the present, there’s often little else that can be done other than remember them as they used to be and entrust their care to those who can tend to their physical comfort. But there’s no ignoring the hopelessness that inhabits a memory-care facility and the loneliness felt by its residents.
Incredibly, however, there are dementia and Alzheimer’s sufferers whose minds are coming back to life. People who did not speak, whose unpredictable behaviors made care challenging, or whose quality of life was dependent upon medication, are re-connecting with their memories and their loved ones. And it’s happening through the use of music therapy.
Scientists have discovered that our brains keep the longest hold on memories linked to music. Remember the love song on the radio when you kissed your future spouse? The country tunes you listened to when you drove cross-country after graduation? The classical waltz your parents danced to in the kitchen instead of doing the dishes? Music triggers memories and influences brain activity, especially when it’s music that caters to one’s own generation and tastes.
Right now in our area, local care facilities are seeing residents “come alive” with the help of music therapy provided by a home-grown nonprofit called Rotarians Against Dementia & Alzheimer’s.
R.A.D.A. and Music Therapy
Rotarians Against Dementia & Alzheimer’s (R.A.D.A.) is a local organization developed by Chris Edwards with the Holly Springs Rotary Club and John Sperath with Apex Sunrise Rotary Club. Together with their club members, they provide much-needed music therapy to memory-care residents by supplying iPods loaded with customized playlists and over-ear headphones for comfortable listening.
Started in 2015 as a collaboration between the two Rotary clubs, R.A.D.A. stems from the national documentary “Alive Inside” and its associated music therapy program called Music & Memory. Today, Edwards and Sperath are excited to have six local care facilities engaged in the program on a daily basis—and the results have been astounding and life-changing for those struggling with the effects of cognitive deterioration.
Rotary clubs at the district, state, and international levels regularly contribute in many ways to Alzheimer’s research, but music therapy was a simple concept that could be easily implemented on a local level. Edwards and Sperath applied for and received a district grant three years in a row, and their clubs raised thousands of dollars to fund the purchase of equipment and create a local documentary featuring footage from three local facilities involved with the program.
Currently, R.A.D.A. is a significant and meaningful activity for the Holly Springs and Apex Rotary Clubs. The question, “Who has been impacted by dementia or Alzheimer’s,” has been asked at many events to raise money for R.A.D.A., and each time, about 95% of the attendees raise their hands. However, for all of the benefits that music therapy has proven to provide, it can still be difficult to get a program up and running in some care facilities. Overworked and underpaid employees may feel overwhelmed by the need to keep up with listening devices, playlists, headphones, and the process of supplying equipment to residents.
Edwards and Sperath have found that in spite of support for the program, it sometimes takes the families themselves to donate CDs, create playlists, and push for their loved one to take part in music therapy. Families know their loved one best, so it makes sense that they would have the most insight into putting together the most beneficial playlists; for example, a collection of energetic songs to assist with a sluggish morning routine and perhaps some quieter songs to encourage calm during stressful periods.
Ongoing Need for Support
There is a tremendous amount of hope behind this mission, but to enable more facilities to offer the R.A.D.A. program to their residents requires funding and involvement.
A matching grant program and regular club fundraising activities have been key to providing R.A.D.A. training and equipment in our area, but this is just one of the many projects Rotarians are committed to when it comes to raising awareness of cognitive disease and funding Alzheimer’s research. Donations to help with R.A.D.A. implementation are always needed, whether financial or in the form of equipment.
Education and information are other challenges when promoting R.A.D.A. Edwards and Sperath want to get the word out to the public that music therapy is available right here in our area. If families know to ask about it when interviewing care facility representatives, and more facilities offer the program, the benefits are mutual. Edwards and Sperath describe the need for R.A.D.A. in this way: “Doctors can write prescriptions all day long for drugs that will be covered by insurance. But if you want a $50 iPod and a set of headphones for a loved one, that’s not covered. Facilities don’t have a line item in the budget for this. That’s why we’re providing the equipment. This is about quality of life.”
An Undeniable Impact
For Edwards and Sperath, “One of the biggest joys for everyone involved with R.A.D.A. has been to see people who usually stare into the air, wake up and come alive! And to watch the joy this brings to family members and caregivers!” For families faced with the heartbreaking reality of someone dear slipping into that dark unknown we still know so little about,
R.A.D.A. is a chance to have more time with those who matter most to us. For our loved ones struggling to remember how to perform simple tasks, not recognizing family members, and experiencing confusion and fear, R.A.D.A. is a chance to feel calm.
Most of all, R.A.D.A. is about providing hope by raising one’s quality of life. Alzheimer’s and dementia are taking our seniors away from us faster than ever, but R.A.D.A is here in our town and already improving the lives of local residents, their families, and caregivers alike.
To witness the incredible impact of R.A.D.A., and for more information, go to www.radanc.com.
