by Becky Watson, MBA, MT-BC,
Owner, Music for Wellness, LLC
“Walking in the shoes” of a person living with brain change through my recent “Virtual Dementia Tour” at Commonwealth Senior Living Williamsburg will always be remember and cherished as we continue to engage and connect with individuals with dementia through music. Ms. P.K. Beville, M.S. a specialist in geriatrics and founder of Second Wind Dreams® developed an experiential tool to help care partners and health care professionals better understand the behaviors and needs of their loved ones and patients living with dementia.
The “Virtual Dementia Tour” began with a short introduction of the virtual tour by Jerry Lynn Daniels, Commonwealth Senior Living’s regional director of resident programs. Then ridged plastic inserts were placed in my shoes, gloves and goggles that impair fine motor skills and vision, and headphones placed on my head that played distracting and jolting sounds. She guided me into a dark room with multiple distractions, and instructions to complete various tasks.
After the tour, reflections were shared with Bernadette Cavis, Commonwealth’s VP of resident programs. “This tour uses different modalities to create an overall feeling and is beneficial by creating an appreciation and sensitivity to challenges in the world of dementia.”
Taking this tour was a very emotional and profound experience for me and will impact the way I connect, interact and provide music therapy services for individuals with dementia.
The senses that affected me the most was the noise blasting from the headphones… these jolting noises, everyday sounds, and voices were unpredictable and disturbing. I felt comforted when another person joined me for tour, wanted to feel/touch furniture, walks, and cloth items, and hummed to myself to drown out the noise.
As I reflect, my “Ah-Ah” moment was understanding the power of music to stimulate the senses of individuals with brain change … music provides social group connection, active music making with instruments provides tactical stimulation with physical exercise, and singing helps focus inward on breathing and may diminish the sounds heard internally or outwardly.
Heather Bridges, Virginia Gazette reporter, wrote a story on Saturday, December 17, 2016 edition and may be viewed on line: http//www.vagazette.com/life/va-vg-dementia-tour-1217-20161217-story.html
To learn more of the power of music affecting our senses, please contact me at: becky@music4wellness.net
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