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A Familiar Tune Rewrites The Moment

• Pat Benincasa • Episode 125

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What if the songs that shaped you could one day save you? When Justin Russo watched 4,000 people wave back at him in perfect rhythm during a music festival, he discovered something profound about connection—but it would take years before he understood music's deeper power. 

Now, as Director of Programming at the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function, he's part of a mission asking: how far can music reach into a person's neurologic world, and what can it bring back? 

Justin reveals why your teenage soundtrack never leaves you, shares the moment a woman with dementia stood up and danced to a song she hadn't heard in decades, and explains how a simple playlist can help someone recognize their family again.  From the "long goodbye" of dementia to caregivers juggling impossible demands, this episode reveals what awakening actually looks like—and offers practical tools you can use today. Because sometimes healing arrives not in milligrams, but in melodies that know the way home.

Links:

Institute for Music and Neurologic Function

Music & Memory Program

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Pat:

Fill To Capacity where heart grit and irreverent humor collide. A podcast for people too stubborn to quit and too creative not to make a difference.

Pat:

Hi, I am Pat Benincasa, and this is Fill To Capacity. So glad you're here. Episode #125, "A Familiar Tune Rewrites The Moment." A familiar tune really can rewrite the moment. And for decades, one institute has been asking how and why. The Institute for Music and Neurologic function, IMNF sits at the crossroads of neuroscience and lived human experience. It started in 1995 from the partnership of Dr. ConcettaTomaino and Oliver Sacks. The institute set out to answer a simple but radical question, how far can music reach into a person's neurologic world and what can it bring back? Oh, and by the way, listeners, yes, that Oliver Sacks, neurologist and bestselling author whose books, "Awakenings," Musicophelia, and "The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat." His narrative style really reshaped public understanding of neurology, the study of how the brain and nervous system drives our thoughts, memories, movements, and even sense of self.

Pat:

His books remain classics because he wrote, with scientific rigor and a deep humanity. Okay, three decades later, IMNF continues to push that frontier. They develop and test music-based interventions that help people wake up neurologically, people living with stroke, brain injury, dementia, Parkinson's, all sorts of developmental differences. They train therapists, healthcare workers, musicians, and family caregivers across the country, around the world. Today IMNF is a hub: education, clinical best practices, consulting for hospitals and care systems and collaborations with music tech innovators, trying to personalize care for people with cognitive and neurological challenges. So, their community programs say everything about their mission. Weekly groups for Parkinson's aphasia, that's language loss after a brain injury. Veterans with PTSD, and they have a chorus for people with dementia and their care partners all focused on connection, confidence, and the small neurologic victories that add up.

Pat:

Now, they also run online training, including certification program rooted in Dr. Tomaino's work, giving senior care professionals concrete tools to reduce stress, deepen engagement, and improve quality of life. Bottom line, IMNF is where science and sound meet to help people reconnect with themselves and each other. And this brings me to today's guest, Justin Russo, director of programming who shapes the training curriculum, leads the music and memory certification effort that now supports more than 5,800 organizations worldwide. His blend of strategy, creativity, and a musician's ear fits the mission perfectly. Okay. With all that said, welcome Justin. So nice to have you here.

Justin:

It's my absolute pleasure. Thanks so much, pat.

Pat:

Okay, so before we even get into the science, I'd love to start with you. What pulled you into this work? When did you realize this is where you needed to be?

Justin:

Okay, great question. So before, um, joining Music and Memory and the Institute, I was a touring musician for many, many years. When I was younger, I joined about half a dozen bands, and some of them did pretty well. I ended up traveling around the world. I got to see firsthand how, how to reach people with music, really. Um, and that was a lesson for me. I remember one festival in particular, we got the opportunity to play to a pretty large crowd. And, um, I was the keyboard player at the time, so kind of off to the side. So, the lead singer says to me before the show, he says, you know, Justin, when it when it comes time for you to solo, why don't you try, you know, soloing with your right hand and waving to the beat with your left hand and see what the crowd does.

Justin:

And halfway through the set, it came time for me to solo, and I did that, and 4,000 people waved back at me in unison. And it was absolutely amazing. And it was a huge moment for me to realize that, you know, this wasn't just about playing songs that people like and want to hear. It's about a connection between the artists and the listener. That was a really profound moment for me at a pretty young age, too. So for a long time, that was just all I ever did. You know, I wrote songs and produced songs and played them and had a great time doing it. I don't mind saying.

Pat:

Oh, I bet you did actually. It brings me to my next question. Now I have to ask listeners, is there a song or piece of music that as soon as you hear it, you're back in that moment or you're in another world now? Okay. For me, it's when I hear Gracie Slick with "White Rabbit," or the opening, "when the truth is found to be lies" in "Someone To Love," I tell you, I am back in 1967, as if it were yesterday, rocking the bell bottoms and full of my adolescent badass self. Now I digress. Music has a power, as you just talked about, that goes beyond expression, a sound, a rhythm, a familiar melody can transport us somewhere else entirely. Music is a portal. When did it first hit you? Now you start talking about it and you're performing. But in terms of the work you do now, when did it first hit you that music isn't only emotional, but logically transformative, that it can literally change what's happening in the brain? When did that happen for you?

Justin:

Well, a long time later, you know, as a musician, I, I definitely understood how to send messages through music, but I didn't truly understand the, the implications for supporting particularly older adults with dementia in that way, by using music until I learned about music and memory, the organization where I ended up working. I had been touring up to 2015, and I saw the job application for Music and Memory, and it just seemed like such a wonderful opportunity and to really learn what else you could do with music. And since then, I've, I've really learned a ton about how music- it's not just about the sending, it's about the receiving and how it sticks with us and how it becomes a part of our lives. You know, you gave a, a great example of a musical memory. These are the songs that we try to give back to people with dementia, because it's amazing the way music cements itself in our brains from an early age.

Justin:

Why did that song stick with you, taking you back? I have a number of those musical memories by self, and I'm sure every listener here today can think of a few of their own. And it just, it has so much to do with the way music and prints itself on our brain, specifically when we're teens, which is pretty amazing. And, you know, that has profound implications later in life because we take those songs with us, they become a part of us, they stay cemented in our brains. And later in life, when our cognition begins to fade, we can still trigger those wonderful, warm memories just by hearing those songs all over again.

Pat:

Yeah. And that brings me to IMNF talks about awakening through music. In your experience, what does that moment look like for someone living with dementia? What shifts in them Justin?

Justin:

We talk about this idea that, like you suggested, that a song brings you back in time. The reason for that is the song is actually initiating a sequence in your brain. And for people with dementia, that might be more difficult for them to do later in life because of the aging process, but especially for people with dementia or other types of cognitive disabilities, initiating those sequences can be difficult. But music can do that as an external source. It can trigger those memories. And what it tends to do is it tends to trigger cognition within the brain. It tends to call the whole person out. If it's going to work at all. It's gonna call them forward, hence the term awakenings, which we hear often. It'll, for a brief period of time after hearing the, the music, someone with dementia will be able to converse, to socialize, and just have a little bit more access to their own lives. And if you've seen this firsthand, it's pretty amazing. You know, people can suddenly remember family members' names, have full conversations about their childhoods and things like that, and remember some of the, the most treasured moments of their lives, because music doesn't just give them back the memory, but it gives them access to other memories as well. Yeah, it's pretty amazing.

Pat:

It is. And again, I'm gonna digress. Uh, growing up in my younger years, my father would wake up early in the morning, I could smell the espresso, and no one else in the house was up. I'd come down and he'd have the Di Mara Sisters singing "Three Coins In The Fountain." He played all these Italian love songs. And to this day, when I hear these songs, especially three coins in the fountain, I can almost smell the bread, taste the cheese, and smell the coffee. It's that visceral. So what you're talking about is this link between memory, identity, and sound.

Justin:

Absolutely. And you know, I have my own set of stored musical memories too, if you don't mind me sharing.

Pat:

Oh, come on!

Justin:

In 1990, I was 15, so I'm, I'm dating myself a little bit here. So, in 1990, I was 15. And, you know, for the first time I was allowed to go to the county fair by myself, with my friends. This was a big deal, right? And I remember walking through those gates with hundreds of other people at dusk with the county fair spread out in front of me for almost a mile, hear the light. I could see all the flashing lights from the rides and the, I could hear the sounds of the games, and I could smell all the smells of the food. And just towards the end of the fair, I saw this swinging Viking ship with kids screaming, going back and forth on it. You know, it was one of those, you know, more daring rides that kids would go on. And, you know, above it all was blaring the song, "Sweet Child of Mine," by Guns and Roses.

Justin:

Now, a funny song to have as a memory, right? You wouldn't normally associate rock with, with this sort of tender memory of, of coming, uh, to age. But there it was. And at any time, now I'm 50, now at any time, I can still listen to that song. And the second verse in particular brings me right back to that moment in time. I'm 15 again. I'm walking through those gates. I'm coming into my own. It feels like I've arrived for the first time. I feel like an adult for the first time. And it's just this warm and wonderful feeling that I can return to at any time. And that's the gift that this type of tool, this type of music engagement tool can give to a person living with dementia. You can give that back to them, multiple memories, in fact. And it's pretty amazing. And it all has everything to do with our brain's ability, neuroplasticity, and our brain's ability to respond to these external stimuli and then store those memories and how much it overlaps with the emotion that's being generated at the time. That's what gives it its permanence.

Pat:

I'd like to shift gears a bit. Families often talk about the "Long Goodbye," that slow painful drift when dementia steals language recognition and the familiar cues that once held a relationship together. It's a unique kind of grief. The person you love is still here, they're sitting in front of you, but they're slipping outta reach in the middle of that heartbreak. How can music help reopen even small pathways of connection

Justin:

In terms of engaging with someone with dementia, especially late-stage dementia? There aren't a lot of ways to really connect and to bring them joy, right? You know, the, the smell of a favorite food, the sound of, of maybe a, a loved one's name, or a loved one, speaking to them that they can remember. And music, right? Music is just one of those things that can break down those barriers and allow people to connect. One of the things we always say with this type of, uh, engagement is that it's really the gift that gives twice. Because not only are you giving them back the songs that trigger memories and boost cognition and allow them to be themselves for a little, little while, but you've taken the time to get to know them. And the songs that really make up who they are, right?

Justin:

It's music is just this wonderful way of getting in touch with a person's humanity. If you and I sat down and started talking about these memories and started talking about these important songs that make us who we are, you're gonna know me. Yeah. As, as soon as I start listing them, you're gonna know exactly who I am and why that's important. And so for caregivers especially, this is a wonderful way to connect. And professional caregivers and family caregivers too, you know, professional caregivers will tell you it's very difficult to connect with the people they support because they're hard to connect with. They tend to be more disengaged and aloof and isolated, but you can spark more social engagement through music. And that's what we train caregivers to do in that way. And family caregivers can do the same thing at home. So if you're a family giver at home here today, this is something you can do without a lot of training. You know, you could, you could find the songs that are really important to someone from their formative years and play them proactively before activities you wanna support before times you wanna spend together and enjoy. And you'll see some of these same results.

Pat:

It almost makes me wanna say to listeners, if you have an aging parent or loved one, sit down and ask them, what are your favorite songs? Do it now while they're, they're clear they're lucid, and just walk down that memory lane with them, but just jot down that playlist.

Justin:

Yeah, absolutely.

Pat:

And tuck it in the drawer, you know, desk drawer sometime. But when the moment comes and as you so beautifully stated, Justin, start getting to know them by playing those songs and seeing what evolves.

Justin:

Absolutely. You know, there, there's a real intergenerational quality to this. Yes, because it's something that develops very early on in our lives. You know, if you're working with someone with dementia or a loved one with dementia, you know, they've had those songs for a long time. And you've had yours for a long time. So even if you're a young person, you know, we always say it's never too early to start thinking about getting to know your family's favorite songs or thinking about your own.

Pat:

I imagine when you train caregivers that some of them come to you thinking that music therapy is just entertainment or diversion. What do you teach them about using music intentionally and about what it's doing to the brain? How do you do that?

Justin:

We have specific tools that we teach for engagement, but the basic premise is that, you know, there is a difference between listening to music for enjoyment and for for clinical value. And the difference is you're trying to achieve specific therapeutic outcomes. You know, if you use music intentionally in accordance with research backed best practice, you can achieve specific outcomes. You can improve someone's activities of daily living, which you'll hear a lot in senior residential care. They're they're always trying to improve ADLs or someone's activities of daily living, how they function during meal times, how well they're able to go to sleep, how well they're able to transition between environments or go to medical appointments or go through morning bathing and toileting routines. This is functionality that people lose over time. But if you use music proactively, if you use music consistently, you can target those specific outcomes and and strengthen them. And people do learn and they can continue to learn and they can continue to improve those skills over time. Even with the late stage dementia, these are the, the tools that we try to teach. And, and leave people with

Pat:

What are ADLs?

Justin:

Activities of daily living.

Pat:

Oh, thank you.

Justin:

Yeah. So for example, if you're trying to help someone maintain a healthy weight, right, boost their nutrition, you can, and this is considered an activity of daily living, right? Maintaining proper nutrition. So if you were to say, for example, play them a playlist of their favorite songs that trigger memories about 30 minutes before meal times over time, you'll see a marked improvement during meal times, they'll be better able to recognize their caregiver and the food that's being offered to them. In some cases with advanced dementia, they'll be able to chew and even swallow in some cases, which has profound implications for care. And it also tends to alleviate some of the anxiety around the eating experience too. So it just makes it much easier for them to get through the experience and for caregivers too, to provide them care in those contexts. So, and we've seen from nutrition studies that they actually eat more and do better. So it's pretty amazing and effective.

Pat:

Oh, that's fascinating. Now your programs serve veterans with PTSD, people with Parkinson's, those living with aphasia. When you look across all these groups, what is music unlocking that traditional therapies often miss

Justin:

In all these cases, the common thread is that you are using music as an outside source to stimulate something within the brain. Now all the other different types of art therapies and the different medicinal practices, you know, they have varying approaches, but that's what music's power is. We have a relationship with music already. And so all music therapists are doing is going in and using music to stimulate the brain in these different ways. Now, there are different approaches, obviously if you're talking about the work of a board certified music therapist, that's very different than a lot of the tools that I've been talking about. And if there's anyone here at home who's, who's supporting someone with maybe a more complex case, they're, they have dementia, but they're, they've also, they're recovering from a stroke or they're living with Parkinson's, it is always best to work with a board certified music therapist because those are the ones who can help with movement rehabilitation, for example, or aphasia, as you mentioned.

Justin:

They can work with melodic intonation therapy to help them improve their speech. Or with Parkinson's they can improve their gait. You know, giving them a playlist of their favorite music isn't gonna do that. And shout out to all the music therapists, if there are any hearing attendance, we love you and the work that you're doing, yeah, this will startle you. Do you know, there are only 11,000 board certified music therapists in the United States and millions of people living with dementia in residential care and millions more aging in place at home with some type of dementia or cognitive loss. So not enough to serve the growing need. And that's why it's part of the mission of the Institute to create these scalable models and to train frontline care staff and family caregivers to have these best practices from music therapy and use them in daily care.

Pat:

What is the Music and Memory Program specifically?

Justin:

I'm glad you asked. So that's probably the best example of a scalable model of music therapy. Music memory started in 2010. Well, the founder at the time, his dad was in a nursing home. His dad didn't have access to any type of music. And he thought to himself, when I'm in a nursing home, I wanna have access to all my sixties favorites, you know, the Beatles and, and the Stones and all that stuff. I better have that stuff with me. And so he, he started creating playlists for all the people his dad included. And that started the music and memory program. And he later connected with the institute and started to understand some of the clinical aspects of what he was doing and developed a methodology for doing it. And it grew out of that. And it grew into this very successful, scalable program. And since 2010, we've certified over 5,800 healthcare sites in the us.

Justin:

Music and Memory is in every state. It's 29 states have made Music and Memory part of policy thanks to state government leaders around the country, which is to say they've either highly recommended this or mandated it for all their residential care. And to great effect on a statewide level. The state of Texas, for example, you wouldn't believe this has lowered its antipsychotic rate by 94%, which is to say the amount of antipsychotic medication being prescribed, they were using a lot of tools, but Music and Memory was one of them. These non-pharmacological interventions as an alternative to these traditional approaches to be behavioral interventions. And it's just made a profound impact over the years. So for the last 15 years, Music and Memory has really proven itself as one of the better working scalable models.

Pat:

You know, what you're really talking about, Justin is approaching the question of quality of life. And that music somehow restores a sense of self, that illness and maybe sometimes medications. And I know they're needed, but sometimes that self, that illness tries to erase. And so in terms of introducing quality of life, it sounds like that's the focus of what you're trying to do.

Justin:

Yes, I think it is. And to be fair, there have been big pushes for person-centered care across the United States, but if you're on the ground and even now you see the gaps, it's just a very difficult thing to do to provide person-centered care. You know, for family caregivers at home, it's incredibly difficult 'cause the job is quite laborious and painful often at times and is oftentimes very difficult for care staff who just don't have the time to say, sit with someone for a few hours and get to know the music that they love, let alone the other 35 people on the memory care wing that they have to support on a daily basis in addition to, which many of them have $20 a month in budget for doing this. So, you know, they're, they're ill-equipped and ill trained. And that's part of the reason for our mission, is to get out there and give them the tools they need to make it person-centered.

Justin:

Because the truth is care and residential communities should absolutely be person-centered. That should be at the forefront, right? Yes. And I'm sure every family member here listening now with someone in residential care has a story or two about how they haven't seen that happen. And I've seen firsthand just how even the best equipped organizations fail to deliver it on a daily basis. And I know that they try and I know that many have succeeded. And those that succeed usually talk about the challenges and how it really takes an administration at that organization to be behind it. 'cause a lot of this isn't reimbursable. Yeah. So they have to do it because they love what they're doing because they love to provide care on that level. But music and memory is one of those few tools that, uh, an organization can apply immediately and meet those standards. Yeah. And we're blessed because, uh, you know, the federal standards CMS standards, music and memory meets everyone for person-centered care. Understandably so. Right? Yeah. Because you're not just giving them this wonderful experience, but you've taken the time to sit with them for long periods of time.

Pat:

Yeah. The way we live, it's somewhat stressful in the sense of everything we do seems to be fast, you know, fast information, you need to know something, you go on Google, everything is done. Dropping off kids, picking them up, whatever we're doing, it seems like we're doing it at hyper speed. I was thinking about the sandwich generation. Those are the folks taking care of raising their kids and then they're taking care of their parents and they're in between juggling two labor intensive responsibilities and going about their jobs. I mean, it's really quite a handful. And in terms of that, where do you see something like playlists and music maybe helping that sandwich generation deal with their aging parents?

Justin:

Well, I think there are a lot more aging parents these days. You know? There are a lot of baby baby boomers retiring, right? And so that the number of people in this category who need these types of supports is really ballooning exponentially. So that's a challenge. Economically, the landscape in America has changed dramatically over the last 30 years. Nowadays, as you know, both parents typically have to work. So that makes caring for a parent. It's almost impossible to, to be a primary caregiver unless you're one of one parent agrees to not work, or they get subsidized in some way. So it's very difficult. The environment is different from when all those baby boomers were growing up when parents usually lived with the kids and the grandkids, which to be honest with you, I wish we could go back to that world.

Justin:

Um, yeah. You know, that when I was growing up, that's kind of how it was. And you know, there was, I still saw traces of that, and I really understand the value of why that approach was taken. But things are different now. Things are moving much faster with ai. And, but you know, that's not the way to care for somebody. You can't care for somebody quickly. That's not the way to love somebody. You know, you really have to spend time with them. You really have to get in there and be together. And that's really what care is on that level. And music can be engagement tools, creative arts therapies, if you're a family caregiver or just spending time together, are ways to do that. You know, music isn't the only way to engage with a loved one at home. My dad's aging in place at home right now.

Justin:

While we do listen to music, a lot of our engagement just centers around being together. We've realized the value of not moving my dad anywhere. This is a lesson we learned with my grandfather. You know, we kept him as home as at home as long as possible because there's real value in that. 'cause there's so much learned memory, there's so much preserved memory around an environment. So keeping my dad in the same living room with the same tv, with the same walk to the bathroom, with the same walk to the refrigerator, has gone a long way in helping him to stay comfortable and to continue to be able to socialize with family members. We have Christmas seat, we have the big Italian Christmas Eve, you know, with the fish and everything. I, I know, you know, and it's always the same, at the same table with the same napkins and everything. And it's been that way for 50 years. So, and we do that for him. And that's love.

Pat:

You know, what you're also talking about is, I don't know, I almost wanna say the sacredness of every day, the routines that we have and the fact that you have all these routines the way you lived for the last 50 years in place. But those routines are like a blanket, especially as memory starts to fade, they know how many steps to the bathroom, they know what to expect. Christmas Eve, there's something very comforting about routine. But it seems we have to work on preserving those routines.

Justin:

I think that's a, that's a critical part of care. And you know, one of the things that I've, I've learned, uh, in the last 10 years doing this work is that stability is, is really important. Change rather, is incredibly difficult for someone with dementia. It can be very overwhelming. And that makes sense. When you're transitioning between environments, for example, whether you're going to a medical appointment and you are transitioning to transportation and then to a noisy waiting room, that's very easily overwhelming for someone with dementia because they can't process the change as quickly as they used to. We do it very easily. We generalize very quickly, oh, I'm over here. I'm over there. It's no big deal. I'm making a left turn. I'm going outside. I'm putting my jacket on. It's no big deal. But that's a lot more difficult for someone with dementia. And that's why the stability matters.

Justin:

And that's why the routine matters. And that's why preserving all those routines really matters. And, and that's how music can help. So if you are transitioning between environments, we always teach playing music before you leave. 'cause when you're in that immersive headphone environment and your cognition is activated, you know you're gonna be better likely to understand why you're in that new environment, why you're in transportation going somewhere, why you're receiving dialysis, what the doctor is trying to tell you, where the caregiver is leading you and why it matters. You'll be much less likely to go into distress, which is what always what you're trying to avoid. You're trying to use these tools proactively to avoid episodes of distress. 'cause those usually compound and can lead to other issues.

Pat:

Now you've worked with teams developing new music technology tools and you've, you've highlighted some, everything from personalized listening systems to platforms that help caregivers use music more intentionally. When you look ahead, Justin, where do you see this field going beyond personalized playlists, AI supported interventions, maybe new tools we haven't even imagined yet? Where do you see it going?

Justin:

That's a great question. So let me just preface by saying, for anybody who's interested in learning more about the intersection between science and technology, please, please, please come to the Institute's annual symposium and award ceremony. We just had ours, uh, last month. It's called "The Music Has Power Symposium and Awards." We regularly, annually bring scientists, neurologists, and practitioners together to talk about this very topic where this is going. And it's pretty amazing. Now, I also want to say that, you know, we still very much focus on low tech solutions because of their learning curve. You know, especially if the person can still use the technology, you wanna make it as easier, as easy as possible for them. You wanna make it as easy as possible for caregivers too. But there is a lot of exciting stuff going on. I think the advent of Alexa, these new technologies where you can basically just speak to a device and get what you need can be very helpful, especially for someone who needs extra engagement at home.

Justin:

So I'll give you an example. We got my dad an Alexa Amazon show. And Amazon Unlimited Music Plus streaming account. And my dad loves this thing. You know, he talks to Alexa all day, basically, you know, she's a family member. You know, my mom scolded me one day for being rude to Alexa. You know, <laugh>, it's really, it's really funny. But he loves to talk to Alexa. He loves to play 20 questions. He likes to ask where all his favorite movie stars are now and things like that. So for anyone at home who just wants a, a tool for a little extra engagement, for someone who's aging in place, it can be really helpful. And it's just great for getting extra information on how to support someone. It can be helpful for reminding them to take medication or how to do something these days. You can even hook it up into the lights of a room. You can have the room lights go on, you could turn this on, turn that on, you know, you can really rig your entire house to be voice activated. So it's pretty amazing. Looking further ahead, there's even more amazing studies being done. What we're learning, and I don't know a ton about this, but what we're learning is that not only does music carry these different biomarkers that we all respond to,

Pat:

Biomarkers are the body's measurable signals, changes in the heart rate, brain activity, movement, speech, sleep, or blood chemistry that reveal what's going on inside of us.

Justin:

But our speech does as well. You know, there are, I, I learned just recently in our symposium that they've identified over 1500 biomarkers just in the way we talk that can indicate our mental health status, if you can believe it. And so now they're developing all of these tools, so such that you can just really talk to the app and it'll diagnose exactly how you're doing and make some non-pharmacological recommendations for improving your, your overall mental health in the short term and in the long term. So it's pretty amazing where this is going. There are some wonderful applications being developed. I know a lot of people talk about the risks of AI and things like that. And I, I'm definitely in that camp. As soon as I learned about all these biomarkers, I thought to myself, the days are over when I can just put on my dark sunglasses and nobody's gonna know what's going on. 'Cause the minute I open my mouth, it's all gonna be out there.

Pat:

It's done.

Justin:

That's it. For every scary potential application, there are a number of really powerful ways that we can help our loved ones have a better quality of life. And we should look into that.

Pat:

Well, I think that's terrific. I have to tell you, Justin, from this conversation, I look at Alexa with different eyes. Now I really do. Your story with your dad engaging, I think that's awesome. It's like he doesn't have to feel alone or feeling isolated. He can just ask Alexa, whatever happened to so and so, that actor?

Justin:

It's pretty amazing to watch.

Pat:

Oh, it's instant conversation. What's one story, I know this is gonna be hard for you with all the people you've worked with, what's one story big or small that stays with you a moment when music changed the trajectory of someone's day or their dignity or their connection to the world around them? Is there a story?

Justin:

Sure, of course. I could give you one. So this is going back a ways, but you know, we were working with an organization, we were showcasing some of the tools for music engagement. And we were working with a participant who, an older adult who was exhibiting some challenging behaviors. You know, she was becoming rather despondent and actually a little bit paranoid about the care that she was being given. And she wasn't as, uh, receptive to care. And so we put the music, uh, we gave her the music, we put the headphones on. And the, the change was so absolutely dramatic in her demeanor that it sticks with me to her to this day, her eyes just popped open. You know, I forget what the, I think it was the song was Stand By Me or something like that. Maybe it was the John Lennon version.

Justin:

But her eyes just popped open and this broad smile just broke across her face and it was absolutely beautiful to see. And she just stood up and started singing the song. She stood up, first of all, which was amazing. And she just started singing the song and dancing. She started dancing with herself around the halls. And the most important thing at the moment, uh, in addition to giving her something beautiful, was that everyone there saw it. They saw the value of the music. All the clinicians there who may have been wondering, why are we here? Why are we doing this? Is it music just for entertainment and relaxation? They had that aha moment too, where they saw, oh wait, this isn't just for relaxation, this isn't just for activities. This is a nursing intervention. Yeah. Where we can actually achieve clinical outcomes. They saw it. And that's what the results really show. Um, when you look at this. And you use it in accordance with best practice.

Pat:

So for listeners caring for Aging parents, partners or friends, what's one simple accessible way they can begin using music today to support someone they love?

Justin:

Great question. So if there's anybody here listening who's a primary caregiver, first of all, I love you. You're doing a great job. Take a break for yourself. We know that that's very difficult, but try if you can care for yourself, you know, before you go back to caring for someone else. And you know, take advantage of some of the resources offered by the Institute and by Music and Memory specifically. Music and Memory has a wonderful free guide on its website. So just go to music and memory.org and click on Free Guide. How to make a Personalized Music Playlist for a loved one at Home. It details the process for finding the right songs, you know, which songs matter, which songs don't. And then it talks about how to use them to support daily routines. Pretty simple. Just like everything we've been talking about today. Just getting to know the music that really matters, the mu, the songs that really lights someone up and then using them to support their quality of life.

Justin:

The guide breaks that down and you can take it with you. You can share it with others. So if you have someone in mind that could benefit from this, this is a great thing to share. And as we talked about earlier, even if someone's in the early stages of aging, this, this is still a great time to do this, especially during the holidays. It's never too early to start thinking about doing this stuff. And the holidays are a particularly wonderful time to do it 'cause we're all listening to those favorite songs. And it can become a shared holiday experience. It can become a shared family experience if you do it during the holidays. So that would be my recommendation.

Pat:

Yeah. And thank you for mentioning the incredible work caregivers do and the need for caregivers to really take care of themselves and, and that's the farthest thing from many of them. They don't think about themselves. They're always thinking about the person they're caring for. And so that shout out is really important that we take care of ourselves as we take care of others. Justin, as we get to the top of the hour, I wanna thank you for joining me on Fill To Capacity. I'm grateful for the clarity, care, and compassion you bring to this work and for reminding us that music is an extra, it's essential. Thank you so much for coming on.

Justin:

It was my pleasure. Thanks for having me.

Pat:

Thank you. And listeners, thank you for joining us today, and I will post links in the show notes to the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function and to the Music and Memory program. Take care. Bye.

 

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Pat Benincasa

Host