That in many countries the average age is rising, isn’t surprising. After the second world war there was a “babyboom” and the people born then are all reaching their seventies. Getting older unfortunately also means that the body can start funcitoning less than optimal which for some results in dementia. This doesn’t only impact the person, but also the people around him/her. Those who don’t have anyone (or where others can’t take care of them anymore) end up in nursing homes. Because of limited budgets this often means that those people don’t get the attention they need. Their memory slowly disappears and what is left is only the shell of a human. The documentary Alive Inside take a look at the effect music can have on them, with surprising results.
The movie opens with a woman who can’t remember much of her youth, but after hearing some of her favorite music that all changes. Memories come rushing back and she starts telling about things in detail. Another example is Henry:
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FWn4JB2YLU]
It is remarkable to see how he suddenly seems to “wake up”. Dan Cohen is the man who has been going to nursing homes for years trying to make these people more human again by giving them iPods with personalized playlists. Nothing is as personal as music and I’m sure you are able to think of specific events when you hear a specific song.
The result is a very inspiring documentary which shows that personal music can be therapeutic. Unfortunately that is a point which is already clear after the first twenty minutes and it is repeated a bit too much. It is only later in the film that it goes into the issues of trying to get more iPods to people who need it and what can be done to make sure that people with memory issues have to go to nursing homes. Despite a fair bit of repetition it is still a documentary worth watching as it shows, in a simple way, that we should cherish our elderly and that it doesn’t take much to make a huge difference in their lives. Especially with a bigger part of society growing old the work that is done to improve their lives should be stimulated as the solution is so simple.
