BBC Breakfast
- Thread starter MaNaAk
- Start date
Showing periodically on BBC news channel too.
My mum was a poor singer but would often sing snatches of songs (or - annoyingly - advertising jingles) as though these small pieces were 'earworms'. This was pre-dementia - just a little habit she had and she'd often match her song to where we were or what we were doing. e.g. whilst driving through Chapel-en-le-Frith she'd sing, 'Going to the Chapel...' and seeing waterlilies on a pond she's burst into, 'We'll drink a-drink a-drink, to Lily the Pink a-pink a-pink...!' etc. My daughter used to joke that Gran had a song for every occasion
As dementia set in she couldn't stand music of any type - didn't want to listen to anything, hated the singers who came to the care home, always saying it was an awful racket and she wished they'd shut up. So sad. So unfortunately music therapy wasn't for her. She did still retain one snatch of a song which I will never forget and was often heard muttering: 'It's my party and I'll cry if I want to...'
My mum was a poor singer but would often sing snatches of songs (or - annoyingly - advertising jingles) as though these small pieces were 'earworms'. This was pre-dementia - just a little habit she had and she'd often match her song to where we were or what we were doing. e.g. whilst driving through Chapel-en-le-Frith she'd sing, 'Going to the Chapel...' and seeing waterlilies on a pond she's burst into, 'We'll drink a-drink a-drink, to Lily the Pink a-pink a-pink...!' etc. My daughter used to joke that Gran had a song for every occasion
As dementia set in she couldn't stand music of any type - didn't want to listen to anything, hated the singers who came to the care home, always saying it was an awful racket and she wished they'd shut up. So sad. So unfortunately music therapy wasn't for her. She did still retain one snatch of a song which I will never forget and was often heard muttering: 'It's my party and I'll cry if I want to...'
How strange - my mum used to do exactly the same. She swore she didnt do it on purpose and that often the only way she realised what she was doing was when she noticed other people around giving her odd looks, so she had to stop and think "what am I singing and why?". It seemed to be a subconscious association of ideas. Ive never met anyone else who did this.
In mums case she retained this even into dementia. Its my OH who now hates music and objects if I play anything.
my husband used to hate music and i could only put it on when he went out and turn it off when he came back. since dementia, he loves music and usually we have it on each morning. its doesnt matter too much what it is but i usually play compilation cds. even asks me to turn it up. its a total reversal. music has always been important to me so to be able to play it any time is a bonus
its more like therapy but anything that helps them feeling better about themselves is good. anything is better than nothing especially as vascular dementia which has no meds to slow it down. the pleasure my husband gets from music is priceless but now it has been proven scientifically to be beneficial.
