A new dementia research program called B Sharp was presented at a recent Senior Network meeting in Fort Collins by a panel of four experts: Jeni Cross, CSU Sociology professor; India Luxton, CSU Research assistant; Angel Hoffman with Stepping Stones at Banner Health; and Katie Fahrenbruch, Alzheimer’s Association Northern Colorado Director.
The program was launched in 2015 and provided 30 people with dementia and their primary caregiver to attend 5 Fort Collins Symphony Masterworks concerts during the 2015-16 season. The study explored the impact of the music on the cognitive ability of participants with dementia, the social connections between the caregiver and person with dementia, and the degree to which study participants feel supported by the community.
In the United States, 5.4 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease, and 65,000 of those live in Colorado. This number is estimated to more than triple by 2050.
As people lose their memory, they lose their ability to relate to others and communicate in meaningful ways. By attending the B Sharp concerts, caregivers were able to feel connected to their loved one in a familiar and meaningful way. Plus, for the patients, the concerts resurfaced old memories and new memories to form.
Participants with dementia were given a cognitive test before and after concerts, as well as the Geriatric Depression Scale and a mood assessment. The cognitive test called RBANS assesses current cognitive functioning, improvement, and/or decline.
Caregivers identified a number of positive changes in their loved ones after participating in the program including improved alertness, engagement, and mood in comparison to other activities done together.
Most importantly, there was a significant difference between the pre and post intervention RBANS assessment for the 10 participants who completed both assessments.
This suggests that overall cognition improved over the course of the program. More research needs to be conducted to fully understand the impact of attending musical performance on memory-but preliminary results are hopeful.
For inquiries about the research, contact: Jeni Cross, PhD, Assoc. Professor of Sociology, CSU; Jeni.cross@colostate.edu. To donate, contact: Mary Kopco, Executive Director, Fort Collins Symphony, mkopco@fcsymphony.org/.
Pictured (l-r): Katie Fahrenbruch, India Luxton, Lynette McGown, and Jeni Cross