A Florida choir helps people with dementia find connection through music

A chorus of professional singers and people with dementia perform Western-themed songs as a part of a support group for people dealing with memory loss.

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

When people age and begin to lose their memory, they can become isolated or lose touch with community and family. As Kerry Sheridan of member station WUSF reports, music can help build those connections again. She visited a special choir in Sarasota, Fla., which pairs professional singers with people who have dementia.

WHERE ARE MY KEYS: (Singing) Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam…

KERRY SHERIDAN, BYLINE: These singers wear bandanas, checkered shirts and cowboy boots for this choral performance at a community center. About half are people who have some form of dementia. The other half are professional singers with Key Chorale. For all of them, Alzheimer’s is personal.

JOSEPH CAULKINS: My mother-in-law has Alzheimer’s dementia. My grandfather did. And I know how important music is in their lives and how it can kind of unlock portals that might be closed.

SHERIDAN: That’s Joseph Caulkins, artistic director of Key Chorale. This chorus is part of a support group for people with memory loss. It’s called Where Are My Keys. And as conductor, Caulkins has fun with it. They’ve been practicing tunes with a Western theme for this performance. He hams it up for the audience in between songs.

CAULKINS: I find the best way to double your money is to fold it in half, put it back in your pocket.

(LAUGHTER)

CAULKINS: I think that’s what John Denver did when he made this classic.

SHERIDAN: Caulkins leads weekly practice sessions that culminate in a performance about every two months.

WHERE ARE MY KEYS: (Singing) Almost heaven, West Virginia.

SHERIDAN: In the middle row sit Bob and Amy Farrell. They’ve been singing together for about six decades. Bob is 89 now and has mild cognitive impairment. His wife, Amy, is 84. She’s a retired teacher, plays violin and sang…