Long-term care center opens music school for patients with dementia

2023-05-30

Studies show that learning to play the piano can help preserve cognitive functions in older adults. A long-term care facility in Taipei has launched Taiwan’s first music therapy school in Taiwan, where award-winning pianists give free lessons to patients with dementia. FTV reporter Stephany Yang takes us in for a look.

The teacher patiently gives a lesson on the piano. Beautiful melodies ring through the center.

The teacher performs familiar folk songs, encouraging the audience to sing along to tunes such as “The Moon Represents My Heart” and “The Torment of a Flower.”

Stephany Yang
FTV reporter
A total of seventeen pianos were donated to the center. The center will hold free piano lessons every Wednesday morning.

A first-of-its-kind music school has launched in Taipei, offering free lessons to older adults with dementia and other disabilities.

Older adult
It’s my first time playing the piano. The class made me happy.

Older adult
I’m very happy.

Free piano lessons are offered at this long-term care facility in Beitou every Wednesday morning. Teachers include The Juilliard School alum Gwhyneth Chen, who is the youngest winner of the Pogorelich International Piano Competition. There’s also Amy Tsai, the chair of the Juilliard Performing Arts Association in Taiwan, and Tsung Pei-ti, the director of the music department at Soochow University.

In addition to providing classical piano courses, the teachers also perform songs and hold karaoke parties.

Gwhyneth Chen
Pianist
The third part, the most interesting part, is a live karaoke band where I am playing Taiwanese pop songs or English pop songs and elders sing along. This is all for the elders to prevent Alzheimer’s and if they already have Alzheimer’s to maintain where they are now. By playing the piano, you stimulate the fingertips and it stimulates the corpus callosum in your brain, which connects the right and left brain.

Amy Tsai
Juilliard Performing Arts Association
We have to thank so many people who wanted to donate this piano. The elderly said, they never touched the piano. They never have this lesson before. Not even their faimily members. But, actually, when they sit in front of the piano, they are very happy.

Taiwan is set to become a super-aged society in 2025. Studies have shown that learning to play the piano can help stimulate the brain and delay the progression of dementia.

Chen Wei-ming
Taipei Veterans General Hospital
Besides medication, there are other ways to encourage older adults, such as by encouraging them to exercise and by interacting with them. Learning can delay dementia and disability. Music is important.

This Beitou facility is the first long-term facility to provide music therapy in Taiwan. It hopes that they can create meaningful change in the lives of dementia patients through the power of music.

日照中心設樂齡音樂學堂　學彈鋼琴延緩失智

2023-05-30

研究顯示，學習彈鋼琴有助於維持長者的認知功能。台灣即將在2025年邁入超高齡社會，為了長者延緩失智及失能，國內有日照中心首開音樂治療先河，設置「樂齡音樂學堂」，由多名知名音樂學院的鋼琴家們提供免費的鋼琴課程，帶著長者們一起同樂。

老師耐心的教導長者彈奏各種曲目。優美的旋律在日照中心迴盪。

老師一邊演奏，一邊帶動長者唱出"月亮代表我的心"、"雨夜花"等經典老歌。

[[民視英語新聞記者楊怡安}]
"各界善心人士捐贈共17台鋼琴給這間日照中心。日照中心每週三上午都會提供免費的鋼琴課程"

首開日照機構音樂治療先河的「樂齡音樂學堂」正式開幕，提供免費課程給患有失智症和其他疾病的長者。

[[長者]]
"很新鮮，頭一次，感覺什麼都很高興. "

[[長者]]
"很高興"

位在北投的日照中心，每週三都會提供免費的鋼琴課程。教師陣容包括曾以最年輕參賽者之姿拿下「波哥雷里奇大賽」首獎的鋼琴家陳毓襄、知名音樂學院協會理事長蔡佩真，以及東吳大學音樂系主任叢培娣。

除了提供鋼琴課程、還有現場演奏及卡拉OK課程。

[[國際鋼琴天后陳毓襄]]
"第三部分，也是最有趣的部分，是一個現場卡拉OK樂團，我會彈奏台灣或英文流行歌曲，帶動長輩們一起跟著唱。這些活動可以預防阿茲海默症，而已經患有阿茲海默症的長者，也可以延緩惡化。彈奏鋼琴可以刺激指尖，同時刺激連接左右腦的胼胝體"

[[台灣茱莉亞學院表演藝術協會理事長蔡佩真]]
"我們很感謝，有這麼多民眾願意捐贈鋼琴。很多長者說自己跟家人都沒有接觸過鋼琴，以前從來沒有上過課。但是，當他們坐在鋼琴前面的時候，他們都非常開心"

台灣即將在2025年邁入超高齡社會，研究顯示，長者學習彈鋼琴，有助刺激腦神經，延緩失智、失能。

[[台北榮總院長陳威明]]
"除了藥物治療之外，鼓勵長者運動，還有其他的方式來帶動他們，和他們互動，學習可以延緩失智、失能，音樂很重要"

這間位在北投的日照中心希望透過音樂的力量，為失智症患者的生活帶來具體的幫助。