“Before I felt powerless, but this makes me feel I can make a difference”

Manon Bruinsma sees nursing homes as places full of people with the potential to become, create and react. It’s inspiring and reassuring.

She is the European Director of Music and Memory, the organisation bringing music to the eldery and infirm to improve their quality of life. She volunteered with Music and Memory for two years before beginning her official role in September 2015.

I spoke to Manon a couple of months ago and I’ve transcribed parts of our conversation below.

Manon Bruinsma:

“The idea of music helping people is not new at all.

I was a bit of a late flowerer when it comes to work. I was crazy about music and crazy about people so I decided to study music therapy in the Netherlands. It was like coming home. I got a job with young people in psychiatry for 8 years, then worked with war veterans and then I got a job at a nursing home.

The moment I entered the nursing home I felt it was a very special place.

People with dementia have a different way of communicating, it’s very direct. They would say things like ‘why don’t you remove that blotch on your face?’ or ‘You’re tired right? Why?’ and they don’t give up! Sometimes their language is inappropriate, but they sort of have a freedom to communicate.

I noticed music had an incredible effect on people sitting all day, passive. I would play my guitar and they would come to life. It was amazing.

But I was unhappy because the cost of me only treated two or three people, I felt powerless in helping people. Then a friend sent me the Henry video and it was like a flash of lightning. I had to do this. I contacted Dan (Dan Cohen, Executive Director of Music and Memory) and he coached me with my projects with iPods and headphones.

Dan is a great guy. He really wants to help spread the projects to places. He set out to do it because he was wondering where he’d end up when he was old and if they would offer him his favourite music there, he’s a big music lover. It turned out that no nursing home in the US was offering that.

The effect was incredible.

I never thought it would work like live music but people started talking more coherently, making more eye contact. There was even a woman who started reading a newspaper to me and she hadn’t read anything for years.

There was a woman who always needed a pill at 3pm because she got really agitated at 3.30pm. But the nurse would put the music on at 2.45 and she didn’t need the medicine anymore. She would sing really loudly in the hallway, so it would cause a different problem! But it was better and cheaper.

Family visiting say that it’s more relaxing and they have better contact, they see that people are more lively. If people are being cared for at home it saves them a lot of time as there’s not as much conflict. It’s a relaxed way to deal with each other and helps with washing and clothing them. Families are also big drivers of these programmes, because people want music available in the nursing home where their family member is.

I’m not allowed to say it always works this way until we have the research, it’s my experience and they’re just cases. But we see it works and it’s not just the people in the documentary.

Before I felt powerless, but this makes me feel I can make a difference. What I like about Music and Memory is that it’s a very practical method - that just works.”