How Music Keeps A 95 Year Old With Dementia Feeling Like Herself

Meet Marjorie Taft, a 95-year-old pianist with dementia who is a vital part of a Toronto-based music group called Recollectiv. Every Saturday at 1 p.m., Marjorie performs with the group, but before that, her daughter Beverly has to coax her out of bed. Marjorie wants to rest, but Beverly knows that playing the piano is crucial to her mother's well-being. According to Debra Sheets, a professor of nursing and gerontology researcher at the University of Victoria, music is like a super stimulus for the parts of the brain that are not affected by dementia. Even when other aspects of memory slip away, music remains and can serve as a lifeline. Recollectiv was created by Ilana Waldston, a jazz singer whose own mother had dementia. As the disease progressed, Waldston's mother's filters vanished, and she would sing along at the symphony. Waldston created Recollectiv to provide a space for people like her mother to enjoy music and interact with others. Marjorie and Beverly have been taking part in Recollectiv since its inception, and despite her dementia, Marjorie has retained her encyclopedic memory of songs. Beverly, who is also a jazz singer and college instructor, takes care of her mother, laying out her favorite red velour tracksuit and preparing her breakfast before the Saturday performance. Beverly also schedules activities throughout the week to exercise her mother's brain, such as Scrabble with Mark Connery on Tuesdays and Thursdays and music with Roland Hunter on Wednesdays. Beverly's father, Bill Taft, passed away in April 2022, and she has taken on the role of primary caregiver for her mother. Despite the challenges, Beverly and Marjorie find joy in music and games. Recollectiv and other activities give Marjorie a reason to get out of bed and provide a sense of normalcy in a world that can be confusing and overwhelming for those with dementia. Music truly is a super stimulus, and the Recollectiv group is proof that it can bring joy and connection to people of all ages and abilities. We can all learn from Marjorie and Beverly's commitment to staying active and engaged, even in the face of dementia.