Music Mends Minds is a nonprofit that creates musical support groups for people dealing with trauma or neurological disorders.
Many people have experienced how quickly a certain song can change your mood or take you back to a special moment in time. That remains true even for people suffering memory loss from Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Carol Rosenstein has witnessed the power of music firsthand when Parkinson’s and dementia robbed Irwin of his ability to remember or communicate. Music became their connection.
“When he was playing the piano and feeling very low, within about 10 to 15 minutes I would see him resurrect and re-engage with the environment. Just like he took a dose of meds,” Rosenstein said.
The experience led Rosenstein to start a band for Irwin and others with neurodegenerative diseases.
“The music storage cells in our brains never die. And these cells are responsible for the memory of music and that’s the miracle upon which our platform has grown,” Rosenstein said.
Music Mends Minds creates musical support groups for people with Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s, traumatic brain injuries, and PTSD. When the COVID pandemic started, they started using the internet to reach people across the globe.
Music Mends Minds is offering free online sing-along sessions via Zoom that anyone can join. Click here to learn more.
Click here to view the website for Music Mends Minds.