Drumming and Alzheimer's Phase 2

I read an article in the newspaper about the Primal Connection. It stated that drumming was good therapy for patients with dementia and Alzheimer's disease, as well as other cognitive and physical difficulties. Since we are always seeking new way to enrich our patients' lives in any way possible, my supervisor and I visited one of Primal Connection's monthly community drum circles. We spoke to Fred who told us that more and more research is being done in drum therapy to help those with dementia, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, Downs's syndrome autism, addiction, and others. We decided to see how the program worked in our facility.

Since Alzheimer's patients are rather unpredictable at times, I arranged for the first group to be chosen from those suffering from dementia, aided and observed by members of the staff. After the session, we discussed the responses of those participating. The reaction of staff to the participation by patients was so positive and enthusiastic that the following week I decided that Alzheimer's patients could be responsive to the program. However, I must admit there are just a few among the staff who claim not to see the advantage of the program. Yet.

We have reevaluated and readjusted our goals for this population somewhat. When we see a smile on one of the faces, when we observe how the participants' spirits have been lifted, we feel we've been successful. We have been able to bring a measure of joy into their lives. To me, that is success.

In addition to that, we feel that we have succeeded in raising our patients' alertness to external stimuli, their feeling of achievement in playing an instrument, and their awareness of being a contributing member of a group.

I don't know if you're familiar with this, but most Alzheimer's patients typically keep heir heads down. They sit, heads bowed, with little facial expression, and normally unaware or disinterested in external stimuli. So when we start our sessions we see their heads begin to raise, their eyes begin to move. They become aware of the instruments, of the group, of the facilitator. And when they follow the instructions of the facilitator to "clap and tap" (clap their hands and tap their toes) we recognize this as success before they even put hand to drum.

Because rhythm, even more than tone, reflects our earliest - actually prenatal - experience. The first sounds we hear are those of the mother's heartbeat when we are still in the womb. Drumming calls to mind that familiar rhythm.

And when our mother holds us against her chest, and tenderly pats our back we can hear and feel the rhythmic pulse of her heart and hand. That beat can evoke the memory of a familiar, peaceful state. It can affect our emotions and the reactions of our muscles. It helps our body relax. It can create an emotion close to that of euphoria.

When we are part of a group playing the drums, the familiarity of a shared rhythmic beat helps us to experience a unity with the group. We learn teamwork.

At each session we reiterate that "if we can say it, we can play it." When calling the name of one person in the group, such as "Franc/ces", we learn to beat out the syllables. This makes each one feel a part of the group, yet personalized. We feel that each person is being recognized as an individual, and the group is honoring our name. We do this for everyone in the circle.

We use several different drums and percussion instruments in our sessions. We use the Djembe, which is an African drum with a deep, resonant voice. We also use the Dumbek, which is a smaller, hourglass shaped drum that has its origins in the Middle East. It has a much higher tone, and a sharp staccato voice that seems to dance over the heavier rhythms of the Djembe. While playing, we can hold the drum between our legs and beat it using both hands, or we can hold it under one arm and beat it with the other hand.

We also play the frame drum, which is a small circular drum with a light-weight wood frame. It is roughly the shape and size of a layer-cake baking pan. It is held in one hand by means of a handhold or rope in back of the drum attached to the frame, and is played by the free hand. The heads of all these drums can be made of a variety of materials such as animal hide, fishskin, or synthetics, which affords a variety of tonal qualities.

Probably the most sought-after drums are the powwow drum and the gathering drum. In addition, we have a variety of percussion instruments, such as Indian rattles, bells, tambourines, shakers, all of which are lighter weight and easier for some patients to hold.

The powwow drum is a large drum played with a padded mallet, easily accommodating four players around its circumference. With four people playing the same drum there is a wonderful feeling of unity among the players, and yet each one is aware of his unique contribution to the music ensemble. Some of our participants play the powwow drum quite aggressively, which could be interpreted as a positive means of expressing anger or perhaps a way of saying "I'm here. Listen to me!"

I understand you also use a CD with the drumming. What kind of CDs do you use? Have you experimented with different kinds of CDs?

We have tried various rhythms, but we have had good success with Native American music. The rhythms are simple, straightforward, and predictable, and our drummers have little difficulty in following them. Our patients also have become quite adept at following verbal or manual signals from the facilitator. They've become amazingly good at starting and stopping on time, and responding to signals from the facilitator indicating changes in tempo and volume.

We usually play once a week, although we could just as easily do it more often. Usually our people are very eager to come to drumming. Some of them might not remember at first the reason we are gathering, but their expressions and body language seem to indicate that they remember it was fun.

Our groups usually number from eight to twenty participants. Twenty is about the full population of our ward. I would suggest no more than twenty; any number between six and twenty seems to work fine.

Because Alzheimer's patients usually have a short attention span, and also because some tire easily, we find that thirty minutes is a good length of time.

As mentioned above the advantages are many and varied. We have developed a scale by which our patients are measured weekly that enables us to track their comprehension and performance. We have had impressive results.

You could do some preliminary research about the beneficial effects of drum therapy by looking on the web for Drum Therapy or Drum Therapy for Alzheimer's. You could also contact Fred Leavit at the Primal Connection (www.primalconnection.org) , fredinc@tnni.net