The patient’s symptoms have progressed to the point where he’s forgotten most activities of daily living, including how to feed himself, how to walk and how to speak. Due to this, the majority of the patient’s time is spent lying in his bed at the facility where he lives and watches television all day long. 

During her visits with him, however, the patient has the opportunity to remember a vibrant life prior to his dementia, one filled with many activities, including playing saxophone.

“As I play and sing for him, he watches me and smiles tearfully, sometimes attempting to speak, but mostly just listening. I can see in his expression how validating it is for him that I play songs he used to play on the saxophone. The music brings back memories of a happy time in his life,” Emma explains.

Sometimes it can provide meaning in a way nothing else can.

“During our sessions, he feels, I hope, like a person again, and not just a hospice patient," she said.