Alive Inside

press release: Join us to learn more about Music & Memory, a nationwide initiative to bring personalized music into the lives of older adults through digital technology.

Join the library on February 15 at 6:30 p.m. for a special free showing of the award-winning documentary, Alive Inside a 70-minute cinematic exploration of musics capacity to reawaken our souls.

Music & Memory was founded in 2006 in the Greater New York Area on a simple premise: Using music to improve the lives of those living with Alzheimers, dementia and other cognitive and physical challenges by enabling them to reconnect with the world through music-triggered memories. The connection between music and the areas of the brain that control memory and emotion has been recognized by neurologists for some time. In fact, our brains are hard-wired to connect music with long-term memory. For people living with memory and cognitive disorders, personalized music can be therapeutic, helping them access memories from long ago and reconnect with the here and now.

Since the program's founding, it has found a place in thousands of healthcare organizations in the U.S. and Canada. In 2013, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services became the first in the country to offer Music & Memory to all of the nursing homes in the state. Find more information about the project at musicandmemory.org

The program has expanded beyond long-term care and into our communities and eight City of Madison public libraries are poised to offer Music & Memory to our patrons. Please join us on February 15th to learn more about this exciting, free, life-changing program.