Music Therapy for the Elderly / Early Onset

"You care about my music. I'm glad I know you. It helps me to tell you how I feel."

- Sung by Karl, a participant of MTE during an improvisation

The Rebecca Center's Music Therapy with the Elderly program serves elderly clients with Alzheimer's and Dementia. Meeting individually and within a group, elderly clients express themselves and recall the memories that music sparks and stimulates. By listening to live music and being involved in live music-making experiences, a greater quality of life is possible- empowering clients and bringing many clients out of the isolation so often a part of Alzheimer's and Dementia.

Therapists working within this specialized program may use music therapy experiences to provide memory recall, positive changes in mood and emotional states, and a sense of control over life through successful experiences, anxiety and stress reduction, nonpharmacological management of pain and discomfort, stimulation that promotes interest even when no other approach is effective, structure which promotes rhythmic and continuous movement or vocal fluency as an adjunct to physical rehabilitation, and opportunities to interact socially with others.