Mother and daughter Marjorie and Beverly Taft are experiencing first-hand what dementia specialists and caregivers have known for years — that even when other aspects of memory slip away, music can not only remain, but serve as a lifeline.
It's 11:20 a.m. on a Saturday morning, and 95-year-old Marjorie Taft repeats the same few words again and again.Her daughter, Beverly, listens but wants desperately to get her mother up and to the piano. At 1 p.m., Marjorie is scheduled to play forMarjorie is the group's pianist. It's a role she relishes. But she also forgets — forgets that she's been in bed for 14 hours, forgets that sheBecause Marjorie has dementia, she lives in the moment.
This mother and daughter are experiencing first-hand what dementia specialists and caregivers have known for years — that even when other aspects of memory slip away, music can not only remain, but serve as a lifeline. Recollectiv is the brainchild of Ilana Waldston, a Toronto jazz singer whose own mother had dementia. As the disease progressed, Waldston says her mother's filters vanished. At the symphony, she sang aloud, competing with the instrumental soloists. "So much for our symphony subscription," recalled Waldston."At an intimate vocal concert — 200-seat theatre — she said, in full voice, 'How much longer is this?' — right in the middle of a song.
Marjorie and Beverly Taft have been taking part since the beginning. Beverly, 55, is also a jazz singer, as well as a college instructor, and has known Waldston for years.At 95, everything takes time, and there's still much to be done: getting Marjorie dressed and washed, putting on her socks, washroom visits, getting downstairs and finally, breakfast. Beverly races to prepare poached eggs and juice. Without the food, Marjorie won't have the strength to play.
There's Scrabble with Mark Connery every Tuesday and Thursday, and music with Roland Hunter on Wednesdays — both friends of Beverly who help out. Then more music and word games with Beverly in between: Scrabble, Boggle, Wordle.That kind of cognitive variety really helps exercise the brain, said Sheets.
Marjorie Taft was born into a musical family. "My mother sang and her sister played the piano, and she would hold me on her lap and put my hands on hers while she was playing. I always had music around me," she said.
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