The case in summary: Terje Rygh, a former conductor and trombonist, has joined Norway’s first dementia corps in Malvik. Bjørn Westgård is the initiator of the dementia corps, inspired by the news program “Dementia Choir”. Associate professor Katarina Lindblad at NTNU confirms that music therapy can stimulate the happiness center in the brain, the hippocampus. The music also creates community and coping, and contributes to an increased quality of life for dementia patients. Kim Wigaard, conductor in the Dementia Choir, urges politicians to allocate funds for music therapy and choral singing for all age groups. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – I think it’s a bit funny to see that he finds again what he was doing before. Because that was his life, says Astrid Rygh. She is talking about the man Terje Rygh. Terje was for many years a conductor in the school band and a skilled trombonist. But a few years ago he fell ill. When Terje got dementia, he also stopped playing music. – It is what has meant everything to him since he was a boy, says Astrid. But now he has found the trombone and joined the newly started dementia corps in Malvik in Trøndelag. – I think it is very good to go here, says Terje. The musicians meet every other Tuesday to play together. Photo: Jøte Toftaker / news Dementia corps and dementia corps Malvik dementia corps is the first dementia corps in Norway. Nea Radio mentioned the case first. Bjørn Westgård is the man behind the low-threshold offer. – I got the idea from the news program Demenskoret last autumn where there was someone with dementia playing the cornet. Then I thought: This is what matters, says Bjørn Westgård. The further plan is that people in Trondheim will also be able to join the dementia corps in Malvik. Bjørn Westgård is the man behind the offer. Photo: Jøte Toftaker / news People have shown interest in the offer, which has meant that musicians in Trondheim can also join the corps. Bjørn says it’s just as fun every time they practice. – The boys play incredibly well and I am a little moved when I hear they play as well as they do. This is dementia Photo: malgorzata tatarynowicz Dementia is a collective term for several brain diseases that lead to cognitive impairment, loss of physical and mental function. The most common types are: Alzheimer’s disease Vascular dementia Frontal lobe dementia Dementia with Levy bodies What they have in common is that there is no medicine that can cure them, that they worsen and are fatal. The biggest risk factor for getting dementia is old age, but there are also young people with this disease. Today there are approximately 100,000 people with dementia in Norway, but researchers believe the number could double by 2050 due to the increase in the number of elderly people. The causes of dementia are unknown, but a lot of time is devoted to research all over the world. Finding the right notes Bjørn says that he was contacted by Terje’s daughter, because he wanted to join the corps. But there was a problem: – She said he didn’t play according to notes, but then she called me the day before the rehearsal and said: You know Bjørn, he dad plays according to notes, says Bjørn. Because suddenly Terje remembered the notes. – So I think it’s at the back of the spinal cord. And that applies to the others in the corps as well. Bjørn says that they played through the songs without rehearsal. It sat. – I had tears in my eyes, so to speak. Stimulates the brain – Dementia Corps in Malvik sounds like an excellent idea, says Kim Wigaard. Wigaard was the conductor in Demenskoret, the TV program that aired on news in 2023. – We have several choristers in Demenskoret who play one or more instruments, and it is absolutely fantastic to both hear and see them play, not to leave out the feeling they are sitting left with mastery, joy and pride after the applause. Kim Wigaard is the conductor for the Dementia Choir and thinks that the Dementia Corps in Malvik is an excellent idea. Photo: Robert Rønning / news Katarina Lindblad is associate professor at the department of music at NTNU. She has trained healthcare personnel in dementia care in how they can use music in their work. – What happens when we listen to or play music? – There is a special part of the brain called the hippocampus, which has to do with feelings of happiness, which is stimulated, says Lindblad. She says that a brain with dementia shrinks and withers. – But with music therapy for a certain number of weeks, it was seen that the happiness center, the hippocampus, actually grows a little, says the associate professor. Katarina Lindblad at NTNU says that there is a lot of research showing the effect of music for people with dementia. Photo: NTNU Creates community Lindblad says that music also creates community and mastery. Conductor of the Dementia Choir, Kim Wigaard, says that the importance of musical activity offers is under-communicated. – We have proven time and time again that choral singing and music create unity, joy, mastery, care, increased brain activity and dignity, says Wigaard. He says that almost 200 dementia choirs have started up in Norway after the series came out. And now also the first dementia corps. – We need the politicians in the Storting to understand that music therapy and choral singing can save us money in the long run, if funds had been allocated and implemented in all sectors from young to old, says Wigaard. The choir members meet for the first choir practice. It is an excited group, where the youngest is only 48 years old. What will the choir sound like? Published 20.09.2024, at 21.02
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Started Norway’s first dementia corps in Malvik – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
