Music lifeline for dementia sufferer
Therapy helps mother ‘come alive again’, says family
After being diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s at 58, South Aucklander Amrita Francis thought her time in music was over. But her loving husband, Martin, and son Sanesh say it was her love of music that helped restore some of her former standard of living.
“Just as you have enthusiasts of motorbikes and cars, for her it’s music, she comes alive again.
“It’s just amazing to see her remember her old favourites,” Martin said
Music is scientifically proven to help sufferers like Amrita deal with Alzheimer’s — it’s called cognitive stimulation therapy.
Amrita was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s three years ago at 58.
As a music teacher who had taught in international schools around the world, Amrita’s diagnosis hit hard because it meant the end of her career, Martin said.
Amrita, husband Martin and son Sanesh, who was 15 at the time of the diagnosis, were living in Shanghai when they got the news.
It started with Amrita forgetting things and one night she kept asking the same question over and over again, and they realised something was off.
HFor a video go to nzherald.co.nz After seeking medical advice the family was told she could not have dementia because she was too young. “Also the fact that she was still able to play complex music on the piano made it seem unlikely, but after we returned to New Zealand we visited a local GP who confirmed our worst fear,” Martin said.
After the diagnosis the family returned to New Zealand and contacted Dementia Auckland who welcomed her into their Cognitive Stimulation Therapy programme. The results were incredible, Martin said. “Harnessing her love of music has also been important, she’s been playing the piano at retirement centres, the Papakura Salvation Army, where she volunteers, and at Toastmasters meetings that she attends every second Thursday.
Sharing music was a way of helping Amrita and others too. One night out, Amrita spied a grand piano and made a beeline for it. “She sat down on the piano and played from memory, once she started playing we couldn’t get her off.
“It would add a different dimension to her.”
Next month hundreds of people will be getting together across Auckland with friends and family to support Dementia Auckland’s annual
rinnfundraiser. Auckland University’s Dr Gary Cheung, a researcher in the field of old age psychiatry, co-leads the translation and research of cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) in New Zealand. “Lack of funding is affecting our ability to implement this treatment. Dementia Auckland sort of pick up the ball really, they operate it as part of their service delivery.”
He and Dr Kathy Peri brought the practice to the country about five years ago.
The therapy had shown it could improve cognition, memory and thinking ability, language and how people expressed themselves, as well as their quality of life, he said.
“It is a group treatment, usually about six to eight people with mild to moderate dementia come together twice a week for seven weeks.”
It uses a number of activities that engage the group and allows them to express opinion. One of the activities is current affairs and newspaper items, in which people discuss an article. This year thanks to funding from Brain Research New Zealand they were able to run 10 workshops across the country. “After that we need to talk to the ministry and put our reports together.”
Getting Government funding was the next step, he said. “We are way behind the United Kingdom, they have been doing it for well over 10 years now.”