Delaware News


DHSS Receives Federal Funds to Pilot Music & Memory Program for Nursing Home Residents with Alzheimer’s, Other Forms of Dementia

Delaware Health and Social Services | Date Posted: Wednesday, November 2, 2016



NEWS FROM THE DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES

 

DHSS Receives Federal Funds to Pilot Music & Memory Program
for Nursing Home Residents with Alzheimer’s, Other Forms of Dementia

WILMINGTON (Nov. 2, 2016) – The Department of Health and Social Services’ Division of Long Term Care Residents Protection (DLTCRP) has received federal funds to launch the Music & Memory Program for nursing home residents with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

The division received approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to use $30,300 from federal civil money penalties to offer the Music & Memory Program, which provides iPods loaded with personalized music selections to residents with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. The goal is to enhance their memories and enrich their lives. The pilot program, which is grounded in research in how the brain responds to music, will engage 10 long-term care facilities in Delaware. At each facility, 10 residents will be identified who could benefit from the therapeutic potential of music by tapping into deep memories to reconnect with the world.

Participants will include those residents with dementia who have been reluctant to take part in group recreational activities. This project promotes a person-centered engaged activity while supporting individual life choices. Training will begin in December.

music-memory
“I am grateful to the Division of Long Term Care Residents Protection for embracing a personalized music program as a life-changing experience for residents with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia,” DHSS Secretary Rita Landgraf said. “We anticipate this program will demonstrate the powerful ability of music to engage, animate and support memory retrieval, and, ultimately, to improve an individual’s quality of life.”

“This program is recognized to return a sense of dignity and identity to residents who had previously been distant, detached and unresponsive,” said Renee Purzycki, MSW, Social Service Chief Administrator with the Division of Long Term Care Residents Protection. Along with Purzycki, Barbara Webb, MS, Training Education Administrator, and Casey Stradley, University of Delaware Senior Intern, will oversee and support the program at the 10 skilled nursing homes. “It has been documented that residents who listen to their favorite music re-experience fond memories, thus promoting favorable outcomes such as less agitation, less need for anti-psychotic medication and increased engagement with their families, friends and staff,” Purzycki said.

DLTCRP Director Mary Peterson and Deputy Director Tom Murray, who support this project, hope to expand it to the state’s remaining 40 skilled nursing homes as funding is available, as well as upcoming initiatives such as Never2Late, which brings technology through iPad programs; Virtual Reality, a computer technology program that replicates an environment, real or imagined; and sponsorship of a geriatric certification for nurses who work in long-term care facilities.

“All these programs will immensely benefit residents’ day-to-day lives,” Peterson said. The DLTCRP is determined to see residents reach their highest level of functioning. “There are many different forms of dementia and the effects can begin to appear as early as the mid-50s,” she said. “We will help individuals engage in activities to optimize their quality of life.”

Nursing home staff members will interview families regarding each resident’s favorite songs and preferred genres of music, and DLTCRP will assist in creating music libraries for the facility and playlists specific to each participating resident. The music will be downloaded onto personal iPods.

DLTCRP and facility staff members will track the results and monitor changes in behaviors and medication doses to measure the program’s outcomes. The hope is to expand the program for all dementia residents and eventually to standardize the practice among the entire long-term care resident population.

The documentary “Alive Inside” traces Music & Memory founder Dan Cohen on his journey to support individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias by listening to their favorite music. Winner of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival’s U.S. Documentary Audience Award, the film reveals how the healing power of music can triumph where traditional treatments fall short, and has inspired thousands of care professionals and volunteers to join his efforts. DLTCRP is working with Cohen to release the Music & Memory pilot program in Delaware.

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For more information, contact Jill Fredel, Director of Communications, (302) 255-9047 (office)
or (302) 357-7498 (cell).

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware’s citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.

 

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DHSS Receives Federal Funds to Pilot Music & Memory Program for Nursing Home Residents with Alzheimer’s, Other Forms of Dementia

Delaware Health and Social Services | Date Posted: Wednesday, November 2, 2016



NEWS FROM THE DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES

 

DHSS Receives Federal Funds to Pilot Music & Memory Program
for Nursing Home Residents with Alzheimer’s, Other Forms of Dementia

WILMINGTON (Nov. 2, 2016) – The Department of Health and Social Services’ Division of Long Term Care Residents Protection (DLTCRP) has received federal funds to launch the Music & Memory Program for nursing home residents with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

The division received approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to use $30,300 from federal civil money penalties to offer the Music & Memory Program, which provides iPods loaded with personalized music selections to residents with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. The goal is to enhance their memories and enrich their lives. The pilot program, which is grounded in research in how the brain responds to music, will engage 10 long-term care facilities in Delaware. At each facility, 10 residents will be identified who could benefit from the therapeutic potential of music by tapping into deep memories to reconnect with the world.

Participants will include those residents with dementia who have been reluctant to take part in group recreational activities. This project promotes a person-centered engaged activity while supporting individual life choices. Training will begin in December.

music-memory
“I am grateful to the Division of Long Term Care Residents Protection for embracing a personalized music program as a life-changing experience for residents with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia,” DHSS Secretary Rita Landgraf said. “We anticipate this program will demonstrate the powerful ability of music to engage, animate and support memory retrieval, and, ultimately, to improve an individual’s quality of life.”

“This program is recognized to return a sense of dignity and identity to residents who had previously been distant, detached and unresponsive,” said Renee Purzycki, MSW, Social Service Chief Administrator with the Division of Long Term Care Residents Protection. Along with Purzycki, Barbara Webb, MS, Training Education Administrator, and Casey Stradley, University of Delaware Senior Intern, will oversee and support the program at the 10 skilled nursing homes. “It has been documented that residents who listen to their favorite music re-experience fond memories, thus promoting favorable outcomes such as less agitation, less need for anti-psychotic medication and increased engagement with their families, friends and staff,” Purzycki said.

DLTCRP Director Mary Peterson and Deputy Director Tom Murray, who support this project, hope to expand it to the state’s remaining 40 skilled nursing homes as funding is available, as well as upcoming initiatives such as Never2Late, which brings technology through iPad programs; Virtual Reality, a computer technology program that replicates an environment, real or imagined; and sponsorship of a geriatric certification for nurses who work in long-term care facilities.

“All these programs will immensely benefit residents’ day-to-day lives,” Peterson said. The DLTCRP is determined to see residents reach their highest level of functioning. “There are many different forms of dementia and the effects can begin to appear as early as the mid-50s,” she said. “We will help individuals engage in activities to optimize their quality of life.”

Nursing home staff members will interview families regarding each resident’s favorite songs and preferred genres of music, and DLTCRP will assist in creating music libraries for the facility and playlists specific to each participating resident. The music will be downloaded onto personal iPods.

DLTCRP and facility staff members will track the results and monitor changes in behaviors and medication doses to measure the program’s outcomes. The hope is to expand the program for all dementia residents and eventually to standardize the practice among the entire long-term care resident population.

The documentary “Alive Inside” traces Music & Memory founder Dan Cohen on his journey to support individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias by listening to their favorite music. Winner of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival’s U.S. Documentary Audience Award, the film reveals how the healing power of music can triumph where traditional treatments fall short, and has inspired thousands of care professionals and volunteers to join his efforts. DLTCRP is working with Cohen to release the Music & Memory pilot program in Delaware.

-30-

For more information, contact Jill Fredel, Director of Communications, (302) 255-9047 (office)
or (302) 357-7498 (cell).

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware’s citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.

 

image_printPrint

Related Topics:  


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.