In this powerful clip from Michael Rossato-Bennett’s documentary,”Alive Inside,” neurologist Oliver Sacks brings us into a nursing home to meet Henry, an elderly man suffering from severe dementia. At first, Henry appears catatonic, unresponsive and “almost unalive.”  When headphones playing some of Henry’s favorite music are placed on his head, the results are unbelievable!

From the film’s website:

“Alzheimer’s and dementia are a reality for an increasing and often unseen population. Though well intentioned, many nursing homes are not equipped to fully meet the needs of these residents. We are left with several questions without any real or comforting answers: How do I want to age? What can we do for our loved ones? Can we do better?

Alive Inside investigates these questions and the power music has to awaken deeply locked memories. The film follows Dan Cohen, a social worker, who decides on a whim to bring iPods to a nursing home. To his and the staff’s surprise many residents suffering from memory loss seem to “awaken” when they are able to listen to music from their past. With great excitement, Dan turns to renowned neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks, and we follow them both as we investigate the mysterious way music functions inside our brains and our lives.”

To learn more about the film “Alive Inside,” visit their incredible website at https://aliveinside.us/ or https://musicandmemory.org/

photo: MagnetMagazine