Music Therapy and Dementia

Last week Alan Turry, our Managing Director, appeared on live radio on WNYC's "Soundcheck" to discuss the role of music therapy in treatment for adults with dementia. In a conversation with host John Schaefer and Dr. Petr Janata, the author of a recent study examining the neural connections between music and memory, Dr. Turry discussed the many positive effects of music therapy. While the Nordoff-Robbins approach was originally developed with children, it is easily adapted to helping people with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia maintain their functioning and improve their quality of life. In past years we have done outreach projects at local community centers for seniors with dementia, and this year a group from Chinatown traveled to the Center for music therapy. The afternoon of the broadcast we received several phone calls from people seeking services for their family members. Clearly there is a tremendous need for services for this population. Here at the Nordoff-Robbins Center we have experience working with people with dementia and are here to help.