Bringing young musicians to perform for - and build bonds with - residents of memory care facilities.
Vermonters in memory care are one of our state's largest groups of the forgotten and underserved. According to the Vermont Department of Health, over 13,000 Vermonters over the age of 65 are living with Alzheimer’s disease. It’s incredibly easy and all too common for society to overlook this population, excluding them from the parts of life they once cherished, especially arts and culture.
Through our initial work with music performances in memory care facilities, we’ve seen the benefits of music as medicine firsthand. We watch residents’ faces light up when they recognize a piece of music, often humming or dancing along. A particularly memorable moment was when a resident approached performers, mid-performance, to share that she was previously a music teacher – this important part of herself had been freed from a type of confinement. We want to grow these human connections.
