Alzheimer’s disease is a tragic neurodegenerative disorder that steals away the building blocks of people’s lives: memory and cognition. However, people with this disease often viscerally remember parts their lives when they are guided by the live soundtrack to years of past personal experiences. This talk specifies the types of music involved in improving different aspects of cognition in people with Alzheimer’s, and the application of such music by an organization called Harmonies for the Elderly. This poignant discussion of Alzheimer’s disease reveals how music is a window into the beauty, fragility, and resilience of the human brain.
“Harmonizing the Brain: How Music Can Help People With Alzheimer’s Disease”
Deepa Rajan, a second-year Chancellor’s Scholar at Vanderbilt University, is double majoring in Neuroscience and Music. Her interest in this rather unusual combination of subjects began in 2010 when she founded Harmonies for the Elderly, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing music therapy and enrichment services for people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Through this organization, Deepa has performed almost seventy concerts at nursing homes. Deepa is growing her organization on a national level and mobilizing hundreds of new student volunteers by guiding the development of new Harmonies for the Elderly chapters in different areas of the country, including Nashville. Deepa is a two-time recipient of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award for her committed efforts.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx