91-year-old diagnosed with vocal cord atrophy sings to wife on 66th wedding anniversary
Jerome, 91, whose voice has been restored through therapy, sings “The Wind Beneath My Wings” to his wife Agnes to commemorate their 66th wedding anniversary.
Chris Hemsworth’s new documentary ‘A Road Trip to Remember’ takes viewers on a motorcycle adventure around Melbourne and Australia’s Northern Territory. His co-star and father, Craig Hemsworth, 71, walks with him across the dirt and rocky terrain, even though he has early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Chris Hemsworth has a genetic predisposition to this disease.
Hemsworth says at the beginning of the film, “I feel like I haven’t spent as much time with my dad as I wanted to because he’s been so busy.”
Along the way, Hemsworth attempts to “scale up” reminiscence therapy for his father by stopping at his childhood home and meeting up with old friends. USA TODAY spoke with medical experts familiar with reminiscence therapy to find out more about what it is, how it works, and how families can use it to help loved ones living with dementia.
What is reminiscence therapy?
Reminiscence therapy is an intervention that focuses on memory through sensory tools such as music, pictures, smell, and place, said Sikandar Khan, Ph.D., associate director of the Center for Aging Research at Indiana University’s Regenstrief Institute.
In the film, psychologist Suraj Samtani suggests reminiscence therapy as a way to help Hemsworth’s father.
Just as physical training can strengthen your biceps and glutes, Samtani says mental exercises, especially memory exercises inspired by places, sounds, and objects from your past, can help improve your cognition.
In the film, Hemsworth explains that while Alzheimer’s disease destroys the connections between brain cells and disrupts memory networks, reminiscence therapy rebuilds those connections through multisensory experiences.
“When you see, touch, and hear the past, it’s easier to remember,” Hemsworth says.
Khan says it’s about recreating the emotion. “It evokes a person’s memory and reminds them of how they felt at a particular time.”
“Let’s go back in time.”
In this documentary, Hemsworth takes reminiscence therapy for his father to a new level by setting the scene in the 1990s Melbourne home that Chris Hemsworth lived with as a child.
“It feels like I’m back in time,” says Craig Hemsworth as he steps into his old home, which is filled with the same furniture, photos and knick-knacks as when he lived there.
“I think my dad got a lot out of today,” Hemsworth said in the film. “The experience of coming back to my old home in Melbourne sparked a sense of nostalgia and brought back memories. I feel like I really benefited.”
Most people can’t recreate an old house like Hemsworth. But you don’t have to do that to get the same effect, Samtani says. Samtani says listening to old songs, looking at old photos, and watching family home videos with a loved one with dementia is reminiscence therapy. “It’s very easy to do.”
Holly Rowe, a counselor and dementia care specialist at the James L. West Dementia Care Center in Fort Worth, Texas, uses reminiscence therapy with her patients every day.
Lowe explains that the brains of people with dementia slowly die. Especially in Alzheimer’s disease, plaques grow on the brain. Those brain cells are dying, so you forget what you learned and go back in time. Reminiscence therapy meets them where they are.
“It speaks to their world,” Lowe says. “We’re not trying to bring them to the present, we’re trying to take them to the past, because they can’t come to the present.”
Khan said it’s still unclear whether reminiscence therapy slows dementia, but it does help people with dementia feel calmer and reduce stress and anxiety.
How to use reminiscence therapy
Lowe suggests making a memory box. Place several objects related to the same topic, such as cooking, in a box. With your patient, you can look inside the box, smell the spices, hold the whisk, and discuss cooking and favorite recipes together.
Tap into your loved one’s life story, says Lowe. “If they played the harmonica, please put the harmonica in the box. What toys did they play with (as children)?”
Khan said developers are starting to use artificial intelligence to facilitate reminiscence therapy. He is starting a trial using virtual reality in patients at high risk for dementia.
There are also chatbots that can help recall patient memories. Startup NewDays provides clinician-supervised AI tools for dementia patients in Washington, California, Texas, and Florida. Sunny, an AI companion, asks patients questions and encourages storytelling and memory training through conversations and photos.
“The goal is not really to replace human interaction. The goal is to help the person practice, build confidence, and have more human interaction whenever possible,” said Babak Parviz, founder and CEO of NewDays.
Andrea Pidgeon’s 82-year-old mother, Tanna Jean Pidgeon, started using Sunny after she was diagnosed with dementia in July.
“The older she gets, the more introverted she becomes,” says Andrea Pidgeon. “For Sunny, it’s been great because it inspires her and keeps her going.”
Other ways to promote brain health
In the documentary, Samtani also told Hemsworth that social connections are essential for brain health and can slow cognitive decline.
“For us, social connections are like the sun. Without that sun, where would we be?” Samtani says.
Samtani says community involvement is key for people with dementia. He suggests volunteering, joining a singing group, or going for a walk with new friends.
Madeline Mitchell’s role covering women and the care economy for USA TODAY is supported by partnerships such as: extremely important and Journalism funding partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.
Contact Madeline at: memitchell@usatoday.com and @maddiemitch_ With X.
