Arnold shuffles all day long and is unable to communicate because of Alzheimer’s. I asked him if he would be willing to come outside with me because we were starting to see the first signs of spring. He slowly enters into the sunshine, stopping at the door, as his body gets used to the brightness. As I pointed to the leaves sprouting on the bushes, his entire attention went to my guitar which was perched on the outdoor furniture. I followed him and watched him bend down and lightly pluck the strings. I helped him sit down and laid the guitar in his lap. He lightly placed his fingers in chord positions and loved on it, holding tightly to it. It was evident that he had played it before…who knows how long ago. That moment for him was the best medicine.

Pictured is a percussion circle in an Alzheimer’s unit. We started by taking lots of time to pass the African drum around, feeling and smelling the hide stretched across the top, the ties, and rubbing our hands over the carvings at the bottom. One on one we echo as the others watch. As we get in the flow, more instruments are introduced (shakers, bells, etc.) We experiment with sounds as we sing various songs. Rhythm is something that is quite active beyond mental capabilities. It expresses the inner soul.

George has had a long life of accomplishments in technology, music, and art. Things started changing as he developed Alzheimers. The talent he has of playing the piano lives on. One of his present joys is sitting down at the piano in the dining room and playing the piano with a flourish.

I sat down with James and we put a drum between our knees. James has a knack for coming up with rhyming words. We go back and forth tapping a couplets and rhyming with one another.

James: What are we going to do today?
Myself: I want to hear what you have to say.
James: I want to talk about the war.
Myself: Tell me a story and then one more.
In addition to making up rhyming couplets, we beat the rhymes we both know and remember and take turns saying lines. Sometimes we don’t say the words. We beat out the rhythms.

Examples: Pease Porridge Hot, One Two, Buckle my Shoe

I laugh with him when we realize how long ago it was when we first learned these little songs.”How do you remember those?” I ask. “I don’t know?” “Well, you have a good memory.”

I am wondering if he remembers it because he has repeated it over and over to his children and grandchildren.

Ellen needed an outlet for her music. I started doing Dancing Hands with her one-on-one. She is creative with movement and rhythm. The handtaps brought that out. In this picture, we are tapping to the Beatles. One time, recently, when Ellen was depressed, we started singing every song we could think of from our childhood. There was a bond and also healing for emotions.

The best part when we conversed with our drum beats. Bob could not be very well understood because his speech was affected. I started talking to him as I beat the drum with each syllable. He responded. I discovered that I could understand him better when he beat the drum. We had a wonderful conversation.