Did you know there is a link between music and memory when it comes to dementia? How would you feel if your loved one, suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, began tapping their feet, swaying, humming or singing, recalling memories and feelings of love, happiness or a sense of warmth and comfort? Well, I was overjoyed when I saw a video of just how effective an iPod can be with Alzheimer’s patients.

Have you ever struggled to get an annoyingly catchy tune out of your head? If so, you can blame your right anterior temporal lobe, a thumb-shaped region of the brain just behind your right ear. Here are some facts: this is the part of the brain responsible for the way we understand words, meanings and concepts. Damage to this region of the brain in people with some forms of dementia is called Semantic Temporal Lobe Dementia. This leaves them unable to recognize melodies previously known to them.

Semantic Dementia, or SD, is the second most common form of dementia in people under the age of 65. Patients are able to generate speech fluently but lose their knowledge of objects, people and abstract concepts. A study directed by Dr. Oliver Piguet and colleagues at theNeuroscience Research Center, in Sydney, Australia, wanted to understand why people with Alzheimer’s have difficulty with memory, yet can remember information if it is sung to them. To find out why, Piguet asked 27 volunteers (14 with Alzheimer’s, 13 with SD) with dementia to listen to pairs of tunes. Participants were asked to listen to 60 melodies. Thirty melodies were well-known, (for example, “Jingle Bells,”) and these tunes were matched with a new, unfamiliar tune in the same key with the same tempo. The melodies were played to participants in a random order, and after hearing each tune they were asked to say whether or not it was well-known, familiar tune.

Participants also heard 48 everyday sounds, such as a trumpet tooting, and had to match the sound to the appropriate image, in this case, that of a trumpet.

Piguet found that, as expected, people with SD performed worst at the tasks, picking out the famous tunes with a success rate of around 60 percent. Those with Alzheimer’s scored around 85 percent and 90 percent, respectively. People with SD matched the everyday sound to the right image around half the time while those with Alzheimer’s and the healthy participants were correct most of the time.

Caregivers have observed for decades that Alzheimer’s patients can still remember and sing songs long after they’ve stopped recognizing names and faces. Many hospitals and nursing homes use music as recreation, since it brings patients pleasure. But beyond the entertainment value, there’s now growing evidence that listening to music can also help stimulate seeminglylost memories and even help restore some cognitive function.

“What I believe is happening is that by engaging very basic mechanisms of emotions and listening, music is stimulating dormant areas of the brain that haven’t been accessible due to degenerative disease,” says Concetta Tomaino, executive director of the Institute for Music at Beth Abraham.

Dr. Tomaino, who has studied the therapeutic effects of music for more than 30 years, spearheaded a program back in 2009 to provide iPods loaded with customized playlists to help spread the benefits of music therapy to Alzheimer’s patients even at home. “If someone loved opera, classical, jazz or religious music, or if they sang and danced when the family got together, we can recreate that music and help them relive those experiences,” she said.

Dr. Tomaino has also said she frequently sees dementia patients make gains in cognitive function after music therapy. In one unpublished study she led a few years ago, with funding from theNew York State Department of Health, 45 patients with mid to late-stage dementia had one hour of personalized music therapy, three times a week, for 10 months, and improved their scores on a cognitive-function test by 50 percent on average. One patient in the study recognized his wife for the first time in months.

My brother, Tom Colamaria, is the executive director of Sunrise Senior Living Community, an Assisted Living and Memory Care community located in Woodland Hills, Calif. Their community is home to “The Choraliers,” one of the only Alzheimer’s chorus groups in the country. “The Choraliers,” make special appearances at local communities and nursing homes providing entertainment to residents.

The choir’s musical director, Patty Degen, is a Sunrise resident who was looking for a way to give back. As a retired music teacher, Degen knew there were others who love music as much as she does. What she found out was- not only are the Sunrise residents challenged with memory impairment eager to sing, but their ability to retain lyrics and music was excellent. So she organized the Sunrise choir and took the show on the road.

“Music stays with us, even when other memories fade,” says Tom. “Our goal is simple: to spread the joy of music to all as Sunrise celebrates its 30th anniversary. Next spring, who knows, perhaps we can even serenade baseball fans at Dodger Stadium.”

We all know just how dreadful a disease like Alzheimer’s is. It affects your entire family as it robs your loved one of their character and cognitive abilities.