5th Dementia Band

https://www.musicmendsminds.org/

Music Mends Minds, Inc.

Los Angeles, CA

https://www.musicmendsminds.org/

Music Mends Minds is an eleven-year-old, LA-based nonprofit that creates free music therapy and engagement sessions for older adults, especially those facing profound neurodegenerative challenges such as Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Neuroscience has long known that our favorite music remains a natural bridge to fading memories, emotional wellness and the ability to self-express, especially when our mental capacities are diminished by age and disease.

What began with the creation of the now famous 5th Dementia Flagship Band now reaches over 5,000 participants per month through local, national and global in-person music groups, thrice-weekly zoomed musical therapy sessions, and a highly respected research podcast. Our groups are led by music therapists, musicians and drum circle facilitators who curate participatory musical opportunities for seniors, caregivers and loved ones together, providing the kind of soft-touch reminiscent therapy that reminds us who we were, what we loved and, just as important, what we loved to dance to.

Neurological clinics and practices refer patients to us because they know that those who struggle with basic speech may come to sing entire songs; others who might not know their way home will find they can still play their instruments as if they never lost a step or a note. Moreover, this musical high can last for days, contributing to less stressed, less depressed, more engaged seniors and a less chaotic homelife that’s safer and more joyful for all generations.

Music mends minds is a complete sentence. Encouraged by the promotional and volunteer support of Rotary International and the attention of an ever-increasing constituency of savvy public officials, we stand at the epicenter of Arts, Health & Equity at a moment when all three are vulnerable to the politics of the day, with those with special needs often the first casualties. That means the joy and wellness that music brings to seniors is now more vital than ever.