An interesting non-profit organization based in Johnson City, New York, is using music, art, and culture to help people who are suffering from memory loss. The Memory Maker Project, founded four years ago, is devoted to using the arts to combat dementia and other related illnesses.
Christina Muscatello, founder of the Memory Maker Project, says that music is especially useful because it targets a special part of the brain. “It actually hits the part of the brain that doesn’t deteriorate throughout the entire dementia process,” said Muscatello. As a result, music will engage “people in a much deeper, meaningful way when the arts are used.”
The groups involved in the Project read books, discuss artists, and sing songs. Every year, the Memory Maker Project helps about 800 people with memory-related illnesses. It really is amazing how music can play such an important role in the daily lives of people.