"Music helps us fight dementia!"

After seeing music’s amazing ability to draw her husband, Irwin, out of the fog of dementia, Carol Rosenstein set out to spread the healing benefits of music to other seniors dealing with memory issues, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease

- Hannah Chenoweth

Carol Rosenstein couldn’t believe her eyes as she watched her husband, Irwin, sitting at the piano in their Los Angeles home, his fingers floating across the keys with joy and ease. Just minutes before, he had been lost and forlorn.

All his life, Irwin had loved music. He played the piano by ear, the flute, the clarinet and the saxophone. But, in 2006, everything changed when Irwin was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, which later progressed into dementia. Carol and Irwin felt their lives slowly slipping away.

Then, in 2014, after years of struggling, Carol decided to enroll Irwin in the UCLA Alzheimer’s and Dementia Patient Care Program, and to her delight, music was a big part of the treatment.

Now, watching him playing the piano, Carol noticed something miraculous happening: Irwin seemed to come back to life. It’s like magic, she marveled.

It soon became clear that playing music empowered Irwin, who became more aware, responsive, confident and energetic. Stunned, Carol consulted his neurologist, Dr. Jeff Bronstein, who confirmed that she was witnessing the power of music changing brain chemistry.

He explained that music may help stimulate the production of dopamine in the brain for more sustained energy and happiness. “Plus, music is stored in a part of the brain that’s relatively unharmed by neurodegeneration. That’s why he can remember music from long ago,” he added.

Music really is medicine, Carol thought, awestruck. And she knew what she had to do: I need to find a way to bring seniors who feel lost and lonely together to make music and release those happy chemicals!