Let There Be Music: The Power of Music in Caregiving

Are you currently hesitant or unable to visit your loved one due to the coronavirus pandemic? Is your loved one feeling more isolated than usual as a result of social distancing? If so, music may be able to help him or her fight loneliness and even boost the immune system! Mary Sue Wilkinson spends her days bringing live music to assisted living facilities, memory care units, and nursing homes. In one of our most popular episodes of Eldercare Illuminated to date, Mary Sue shares her thoughts about the role of music in caring for someone with dementia — and the opportunity to enhance your loved one’s life in myriad ways through live and recorded musical experiences. The Rolling Stones’ lead guitarist Keith Richards has said, “Music is a language that doesn’t speak in particular words. It speaks in emotions, and if it’s in the bones, it’s in the bones.” For individuals with dementia, music can spark what’s in the bones to rise to the surface for moments of clarity and happiness. About Our Guest: Mary Sue Wilkinson is the founder of Singing Heart to Heart™ and the Young at Heart Music Program. As a career educator and professional musician, she discovered the power of music to awaken memories and bring joy. Today she specializes in using music in dementia care. Her book, “Songs You Know By Heart: A Simple Guide for Using Music in Dementia Care,” her sing along CDs and her E-Book “Finding Memories through Music: A Family Interview,” as well as other resources are available on her website: .

You can listen to Let There Be Music: The Power of Music in Caregiving online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Let There Be Music: The Power of Music in Caregiving is an episode from Eldercare Illuminated by Torchlight.

This episode is 36:43 long.

This episode was published on Mar 24, 2020.

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