Reaching out to people struggling with dementia

Reaching out to people struggling with dementia

Introduction Lost Chord is a charity established in 1999

in an attempt to help improve the quality of life of those struggling to live with dementia.

  We use highly trained professional

musicians to help stimulate responses, in particular from those who can’t walk, talk, feed themselves or communicate in any way.

We have achieved some amazing responses.

The last 12 years have been an exciting journey of discovery into dementia – a huge learning curve for all of us.

Elsie’s first lesson

Mary - you’d think she’d played all her life

She had never played the piano before

Why Lost Chord existsThe initial funding came from Henry

Smith’s Charity for a three year pilot scheme.

We started in in 1999 with just 10 Social Services homes.

We now visit more than 110 homes and day centres on a regular monthly basis.

 Each month we build on the responses

achieved in previous successive sessions. 

Our understanding of the impact of music on people with dementia. 

We are all aware that there are two sides to the brain - left dealing with speech, original thought etc - Right dealing with music/song, learning in rote  For whatever reason (there seems to be no explanation)

with the onset of dementia the left side appears to deteriorate first.

Therefore when the ability to speak coherently has died off there is a distinct possibility the right hand side is still intact.

Lost Chord uses music to stimulate the right side of the brain thereby achieving some incredible responses.

Hilda

The Thompson Sisters

Lawrence came to life with the music

Eleanor

He didn’t need asking twice

The simplest response can be so important

Observations Dementia know no social barriers – There’s no

statutory funding and there’s no cure. To hear someone speak for the first time ,for

us, is mind-blowing, but for them it gives back the self esteem they need to carry on in their battle against the disease.

Being trapped in a lifeless body is inevitably frustrating and humiliating

Music can in such a simple way overcome these feelings of frustration and humiliation.

It seems to reach into their very souls and unlocks that door behind which a frightened, intimidated and humiliated person hides.

Happiness – the greatest gift