A Farmington couple is bringing music and community together in an effort to give families affected by Alzheimer’s
and dementia a few hours of relief.
For people living with Alzheimer’s or dementia, familiar music can bring back memories—and that’s the idea behind a new free concert coming to Northfield.
They Never Forget the Music will be held September 27th from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Grand Event Center in downtown Northfield.
Larry Walsh organized the event with his wife, Shannon. He says the concert is designed for people with Alzheimer’s and dementia and their caregivers.
“We have talent coming in, singers. One is Barbara B., and the other one is a duo, Marv & Kaat, and they’re going to sing very familiar songs. Hopefully, that will resonate with the Alzheimer’s patients, and it will regenerate their memories.”
Walsh says attendees can sing, dance, clap along—or simply enjoy the music. And while the event is designed with dementia patients and caregivers in mind, everyone is welcome.
“Anybody that comes is going to be able to come in and join us, and that’s kind of the whole idea of the thing.”
The idea comes from Walsh’s own experience. His wife, Shannon, was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia four years ago.
Walsh says that after the diagnosis, he found there was plenty of focus on medical care and finding a cure—but not enough immediate support for families trying to manage day-to-day life.
“They kind of said, ‘Here’s your diagnosis. Now go out and have a good life. We can’t do any more for you. You’re on your own.’ And I didn’t think that that was enough.”
Walsh now provides round-the-clock care for his wife. He says the experience has shown him how much stress caregivers carry, and he wanted to create something that could offer some relief.
“And I thought if we could do something to relieve just the stress, I’m sorry, it’s only for three hours. I wish it could be a lot longer, but this is what we’ve come up with, and this is what we’re going to try.”
For Walsh, the concert is about more than music. It’s about giving families living with Alzheimer’s and dementia a chance to step away from the stress, even if only for a few hours, and simply enjoy being together.
They Never Forget the Music is September 27th from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Grand Event Center in downtown Northfield. The event is free for people living with Alzheimer’s or dementia and their caregivers, though everyone is welcome.
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