Robin Lombardo
Music and Memory, USA
Keynote: J Neurol Disord
Our experience teaches that personalized music benefits everyone. We promote the recall of memories that inspire a renewed sense of self for participants, fulfillment of purpose for their caregivers and deepened connections for family. Applications: nursing homes, assisted livings, independent livings, hospitals, behavioral health, hospices, home health, adult day, community organizations and intergenerational programs. Personalized music provides a broad scope of benefits and can be used strategically as a tool to meet goals and achieve specific outcomes, yet the vast majority of individuals receiving care do not have access to it. Every day across the US and around the globe, professional care staff, community organization volunteers, students and informal caregivers use Music & Memoryâ??s personalized music program to enhance the quality of life for individuals they serve. The program supports forefront health initiatives such as: elder advocacy, research, quality measures, personal choice and reduction of pharmacologic interventions, increased social engagement, caregiver support and aging in place. Personalized music is the best medicine and number one stimulus of the brain. While benefitting individuals with cognitive, intellectual, mental and physical challenges, results for those suffering from dementia can be transformative. Anecdotal and evidence-based research conducted by hospitals, skilled nursing, assisted living, behavioral health and universities using solid research methods have shown a reduction in the areas of medication, anxiety, agitation, behaviors, falls, physical altercations, feeding tubes, depression and pain. Benefits include enhanced quality of life, nutrition, communication, positive mood and participation in activities and therapies. A study funded in 2017 by the National Institutes of Health will track effects across sixty skilled care environments over five years. Sharing ethnomusic experiences and opportunities for intergenerational interaction are built into the program. Workshop participants will experience an inspiring, interactive session and a broadened vision of the power of personalized music.
Lombardo, “Who’s Who” 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, has taught college classes in gerontology since 1984. She has worked in clinical settings for 40 years at every level of care, as well as other facilities. She helped co-author and teach the college-accredited Alzheimer’s disease and successfully trained over 1,000 caregivers. She is a Master’s Level Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist and a Certified Dementia Practitioner. She has given numerous presentations at regional and local conferences on topics related to dementia and intervention strategies, including Oxford University Roundtable on Aging, London.
E-mail: rlombardo@musicandmemory.org
Neurological Disorders received 1253 citations as per Google Scholar report
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