September 21st is – like every year – World Alzheimer’s Day. On that day, events such as lectures and benefit concerts take place in many cities and towns, and the whole week from September 16th to 22nd is dedicated to dementia. A good opportunity to think of those affected and their relatives – and to fight together against forgetting.
Dementia is an umbrella term for several diseases that can affect memory, cognitive abilities and behavior. Alzheimer’s is the most common form. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it accounts for 60 to 70 percent of cases.
According to the German Alzheimer Society (Berlin), there are 1.8 million people suffering from dementia in Germany alone. “Even if a cure for the disease is not currently possible, the sick and their families can be helped through medical treatment, advice, social support, expert care and much more,” says the society. “Music is considered the ‘royal road’ to dementia sufferers,” it writes.
The power of music against dementia
“Alive inside” – a documentary film of this name shows what music can do for people with dementia. “I can’t remember anymore,” says a 90-year-old woman when asked what her life was like. “I’ve forgotten so much. I’m sorry.” But just a short time later, the memories and stories just bubble up out of her. She now has headphones on and is listening to music by Louis Armstrong. The 2014 documentary is touching.
The power of music in Alzheimer’s and other dementias has now been scientifically proven. “Music therapy has been shown to improve cognitive abilities in people with dementia,” write the authors. a summary analysis published in 2020 of eight studies. These people also experienced an improvement in their perceived quality of life immediately after the intervention, as well as long-term depression. The most effective was listening to music, but singing also helps, according to the analysis.
Another team has in a study published in 2024 focused solely on Alzheimer’s: The result suggests that treatment with music therapy improves the brain performance of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, it concludes in the summary analysis of eleven studies. Brain performance in general, speech, orientation and memory have improved. According to another meta-study, music therapy can also help people with dementia to combat restlessness. The team evaluated twelve specialist articles and published the result in Journal Frontiers of Psychology presented.
Even with dementia: singing is always possible
The findings are being put into practice, for example by the North Bavarian Music Association (NBMB). The association organizes participatory concerts for people with dementia in the “A Song for You” project. “At our concerts, there were people in the audience who seemed to no longer react to anything. When they sing along to well-known songs that they know from their childhood or Christmas carols, they suddenly know the lyrics. That is really fascinating,” reports a musician named Ulrike, who regularly plays in senior citizens’ centers with her amateur ensemble.
In addition, amateur musicians can receive further training in workshops at the NBMB, based in Unterpleichfeld near Würzburg, if they want to bring music to care facilities. Together with the Technical University of Würzburg-Schweinfurt, it has also developed a guide to corresponding digital music offerings.
Counteracting dementia
The number of people suffering from dementia is increasing worldwide. According to WHO estimates, 55 million people currently have dementia. This number will rise to 78 million by 2030 and 139 million by 2050, the organization estimates. Although dementia is considered a disease of old age, it does not only affect older people. In up to 9 percent of cases, the disease occurs before the age of 65, according to the WHO.
While dementia was previously considered almost inevitable in many cases, there is now increasing evidence that the disease can often be prevented or at least delayed by various measures. Risk factors for dementia include lack of physical activity, obesity and diabetes, smoking and alcohol consumption, high blood pressure, social isolation, depression, low education, brain injuries, hearing loss and air pollution.
The so-called Lancet Commission on Dementia recently caused a stir with a new assessment. According to the international team, 45 percent of all dementia cases can be prevented or at least delayed. In addition to the twelve potentially preventable risk factors mentioned, the commission also listed two more: treating impending vision loss and high cholesterol levels can also have a preventative effect.
