The Healing Power of Music: How Classic Love Songs Spark Memories in Seniors

A rotary club did something good for some folks at an assisted living facility.

The men got together to sing some old love songs for Valentine to help stir up memories from the group's younger days.

The staff at Legend at Tulsa Hills show love each day but the people who live there can’t always show that love back.

“They call it the dementia tsunami and we are seeing a higher instance of dementia in assisted living,” said Courtney Ivy with Legend At Tulsa Hills.

So when the rotary men of note visit people here notice a shift

“There’s something magical about singing old songs it bypasses the more recent memories like what did I have for lunch today and what day of the week is it? It just brought back such precious memories,” said Jerry Dillon with the Rotary Men of Note.

Some might not remember who they loved but that feeling is still there.

“Sometimes we forget that just because somebody has this horrible disease we forget that they are very complex people with lots of history and past and they’ve loved and they’ve lost and all of that and music has a way of bringing back those memories and I think that’s really special,” said Ivy.