On Friday, December 13th, Life Care Center of the North Shore organized a drum circle for residents and visitors from Mass Senior Care and The Boston Globe. The event was led by David Currier, Life Care’s expert on dementia programming in the Northeast Division, alongside Sarah Blacker, a board-certified Music Therapist.
Residents gather in a circle and are given a choice of different types of drums, bells and maracas. The facilitators are in the middle, leading with a variety of drum patterns and familiar songs to sing along with. The residents, many of who have varying stages of dementia, drum, dance and sing along in synchrony to the beats.
Through extensive research, drumming has been shown to lower blood pressure, improve symptoms of anxiety and depression, decrease somatic pain responses and elicit positive emotional responses within a supportive social setting.
“Within music therapy, there’s a place for everyone to be their whole selves. Music evokes positive memories, emotions and musical responses from individuals who may not typically engage,” says Blacker.
At Friday’s drum circle, two residents described the experience as “the best Christmas gift” and “the best type of therapy” they could have received. The joy that the residents experienced lasted beyond the hour-long program, spreading positivity throughout the facility that night.
Photos by 26 North Studios