Musical therapy: Classical concerts in New York for dementia sufferers

Classical concerts give people with dementia symptoms and their caregivers a shared space for music, memory, and connection

In his early sixties, Rob Kaufman suffered a medical emergency that caused him to faint and hit his head on a wooden floor, resulting in a traumatic brain injury.

He was placed in a medically induced coma, his wife Ellen told AFP, and spent about a month in intensive care. Nine weeks of intensive rehabilitation, including speech therapy, followed, and he now lives with significant short-term memory loss.

Music therapy proved invaluable in the recovery of the former studio musician, who said he once played for artists including Jimi Hendrix.

Today, the Kaufmans regularly attend a Manhattan concert program designed for people experiencing dementia symptoms.

The couple recently attended a 10th anniversary performance featuring the Calidore String Quartet. The musicians closed the spring season before a packed audience of about 100 people.

One audience member closed her eyes and mimed conducting as Mozart played, while another tapped her caregiver’s arm as if it were piano keys.

Lincoln Center, the arts complex on New York’s Upper West Side, began the series “out of a need,” said Miranda Hoffner, the institution’s accessibility director.

“We were hearing more and more from our subscribers… that they weren’t renewing their subscriptions because of dementia,” she told AFP. “We felt a responsibility to fill that gap.”

Dementia is an umbrella term for symptoms that can include memory loss and impaired movement and daily function. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for most cases. The World Health Organization estimates about 57 million people globally were living with dementia in 2021, with around 10 million new cases each year. There is no cure.

Cases are rising as the Boomer generation reaches older age and lives longer, increasing exposure to chronic illness, said Emily Finkelstein, a geriatrics provider at NewYork-Presbyterian.

She noted that the broader U.S. system for dementia care remains fragmented and difficult to access.

“It’s a huge issue,” she said, adding that while art, music, and dance therapy show strong benefits, programs remain limited.

At Lincoln Center, the dementia-focused concerts are free. An Alzheimer’s caregiver support nonprofit trains staff to help make performances more accessible.

“You will see people holding hands, you will see people tapping their feet,” Hoffner said.

The concerts are less formal than traditional classical performances and include workshops led by music therapists to encourage participation.

Hoffner said the goal includes helping seniors “age in place” in the city.

For Kaufman, now 73, the concerts have helped him “come out of his shell,” his wife said.

“All of us are different than almost everybody else out there, so when we’re in a community like this, we get to be different,” he said.

Ellen Kaufman said support programs were far fewer when she first began navigating her husband’s condition. — AFP