MIDDLESEX COUNTY- Toward the end, Spotswood resident Noreen Richardson struggled to complete the most mundane tasks and could hardly recognize her own family.
Stricken with Alzheimer’s, an 87 year old Richardson had short lucent windows, usually when her grandson Alex Guketlov was by her side.
That’s because Alex, now 17, brought with him fiddles, flutes, penny whistles and instrumental songs indicative of the Irish music that once filled the Richardson home.
“She would hear it and her whole face would light up,” said Alex, a Bishop George Ahr High School student and Spotswood resident. “Many times, some of the words would come back to her and those were our happiest final memories.”
After Noreen passed in 2015, Alex decided to craft a program, Memory of Music, similar to the one that brought so much joy to his grandmother, and share it with the residents of Roosevelt Care center at Old Bridge, a nearby long-term care facility.
Flyers were printed and families of residents in the dementia and Alzheimer’s program were contacted and asked to provide 10 songs that their loved one might recall.
With the families on board, the recreation staff and Alex have now begun playing music tailored for each resident, with early-on positive results.
“Music is a hallmark of memory and there’s something about putting on headphones and listening to nostalgic songs that really help our residents come alive,” said Alan Fialka, administrator at Roosevelt Care Center at Old Bridge. “We’ve had great responses, not only from our residents but from the families too.”
This type of recreational activity is a newer therapy, being utilized by facilities, like Roosevelt, across the country.
In fact, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America has reported that music can shift mood, manage stress-induced agitation, stimulate positive interaction, facilitate cognitive function and coordinate motor movements.
“With continued success, we hope to extend the program to our Edison facility in the future,” Fialka said.
For further details about Roosevelt Care Center, log onto www.rooseveltcarecenter.com or stop by the Edison facility at 118 Parsonage Road or the Old Bridge campus at 1133 Marlboro Road. More information may also be found by calling 732-360-9839 or liking the Facebook pages for “Roosevelt Care Center at Old Bridge” and “Roosevelt Care Center at Edison”
