OUR COMMUNITY
Music and Memories The power of music can slow neurological diseases.
ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
E
very time Laura Kienscherf heard music, she couldn’t help but dance, sing or hum along. Kienscherf was diagnosed with dementia, and although she battled the progressive neurological disease daily, music would bring her pure joy. “She was so happy,” said son Daryn Kienscherf, 55, of Royal Oak, recalling his mother’s reaction to music. “It put her back in time to a place where life was simpler, and she wasn’t in pain.” Laura, who passed away at the age of 89 in January, grew up taking dance lessons. Frank Sinatra was her favorite artist and the crooner’s song “It Had to Be You” was one that stuck with her for life. Even on bad days, Daryn says his mother would bring up the song, either by humming the tune or saying the words, “It had to be you.” Like many with progressive neurological illnesses, Laura felt the numerous benefits that music brought to her life. Individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia, Parkinson’s disease, strokes and more have experienced the incredible impact that music can have on the brain. Now, during Parkinson’s Awareness Month in April, it’s more important than ever to understand the power of music on slowing neurological diseases. IMPROVING MENTAL ACTIVITY Music can trigger temporary recollections in memory, an important tool for those with dementia suffering devastating memory loss. It also has the power to activate and sometimes even improve auditory, cognitive, motor and emotional functions that neurological diseases can affect. More and more research is coming out that defines
30
|
APRIL 29 • 2021
Musician Michael Krieger plays for the people at the Brown Program before the pandemic. COURTESY OF THE DOROTHY AND PETER BROWN PROGRAM.
“MUSIC CAN HELP MAINTAIN THE PARTS OF THE BRAIN THAT ARE INTACT.” — JVS MUSIC THERAPIST JULIE VERRIEST Laura Kienscherf
music as a crucial tool in helping individuals like Laura rehabilitate or slow down symptoms. It’s also an essential coping or soothing mechanism that serves as a form of comfort when words may fail. Daryn Kienscherf recalls when his mother needed eye surgery to remove Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare
type of skin cancer that had grown beneath her eye. For this procedure, she was sedated but awake. The whole time, Laura was humming and singing. Her nurse and surgeon believed she was using music to distract herself from the discomfort. Music can cause psychological changes in mood that can generate relax-
