Hi everyone! I came across this inspiring documentary, Alive Inside, towards the beginning of my journey researching music and memory. I think this documentary is a great introduction to music's impact on seniors, and anyone interested in this topic should watch it!
What is this documentary about? Alive Inside follows Dan Cohen, the founder of Music & Memory. Music & Memory is a nonprofit organization that focuses on music therapy as a way to unlock memories and comforting emotions in seniors with dementia. The documentary captures a few different seniors and their reactions to listening to beloved music from their childhood. It’s so inspiring to see these seniors literally wake up when they listen to the music. The documentary is also very informational on some shortcomings of the current healthcare system, demonstrating how some seniors react negatively to traditional care methods, like taking medicine. The documentary even includes interview clips with neurologist Oliver Sacks! Here is a touching clip from the documentary of a senior who was usually unresponsive, but when listening to music, became animated and alive again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HLEr-zP3fc I’ve also included a couple more documentaries about seniors with dementia that are on my list to watch soon. I love watching documentaries as a way to learn more about Alzheimer’s disease and caring for seniors because they enable the viewer to visually see the impact of memory loss and how effective different methods of treatment are. Memory for Max, Claire, Ida and Company
I Remember Better When I Paint
Alzheimer’s: Every Minute Counts
The Alzheimer's Project
Do You Know What My Name Is?
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It's almost been a month since I've been mostly staying at home, and it's become the new normal. I decided to take a break from posting about current events, and instead, I'm going to write about something I've always been interested in: the different types of memories we have.
Memory is so valuable to us because it gives us our identity. Our past forms us: even the worst parts that we would rather forget have contributed to who we are today. For this post’s topic, I decided to focus on the types of memories, which, at least to me, has surprisingly many different layers. Memory: “the faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information”. The first thing that comes to my mind is a little area in the brain where all memories are stored, kind of like a storage closet. To some extent, this isn’t terribly off target, but there are actually a few different types of memories, and they involve different parts of the brain. Sensory memory: This is basically what our senses take in from the outside world. It occurs for a very brief period and allows us to retain what we heard, saw, etc, after the stimuli has disappeared. Short term memory: As the name basically describes, short term memory deals with information stored for a short amount of time, around 30 seconds, before we forget it. We can usually hold 7 pieces of information in our short term memory. Working memory: This is a newer, modified concept regarding short term memory. It’s more complex, but here is a brief summary: working memory involves processing short term memories by relating them to previous memories, like a continuous loop. Most of this action occurs in the prefrontal cortex. Long term memory: In long term memory, memories can be stored from a few hours to lifetime. Memories from short term memory become long term through encoding and consolidation. To convert memories to long term, we can rehearse the information (ex by repeating a phone number over and over), or in general, memories with significant meaning (ex emotionally) are more memorable. Every type of memory mentioned below is a type of long term memory. Explicit memory: This includes facts, concepts, events, and anything we have to actively think about to remember. The hippocampus, neo-cortex, and amygdala are involved in explicit memory. Semantic memory: This is a type of explicit memory solely involving general facts and information. Episodic memory: This is a type of explicit memory involving experiences in life. This includes the sensations and emotions involved with the event, and the basic who, what, when, where. Autobiographical memory: Again, as the name says, this type of memory refers to personal experiences and knowledge of an individual’s life. It can be viewed as a subset of episodic memory. Flashbulb memory: This is a specific type of autobiographical memory and is a highly vivid snapshot of a significantly emotional moment. This can be a happy moment, like a wedding, or a traumatic one, like during the 9/11 attacks. Implicit memory: This memory uses past experiences to remember without consciously thinking about them. The basal ganglia and cerebellum are involved in implicit memory. Procedural memory: This is a type of implicit memory, and it involves performing certain procedures. An example is riding a bike: after learning how to ride a bike, we always remember how to ride one later, without having to think about the specific mechanics of it, like balancing and controlling the bike. Priming: This is another type of implicit memory, so it also occurs unconsciously. Priming occurs when the exposure to one stimulus influences the response to another stimulus. For example, if you see food, you are likely completely S _ _ P as SOUP. In the world, priming can influence behavior and perception, both positively and negatively. Wow, that’s a lot of memory types! I also found a picture that shows some of the brain areas that are related to the different memories. Memory is definitely more of a continuous process than a simple storage area. I think what amazes me the most is how much information we are able to store in our brains; there are no limits! |
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