Music Brings New Life To Man With Alzheimer's

From the documentary film
Alive Inside.

Henry is an elderly man who has been stricken with Alzheimer's.

When he began to have seizures more than ten years ago, Henry's wife and family made the very difficult decision to place him in the full-time care of a nursing home facility.

Over the years, as the disease took its toll on him, Henry became increasingly non-communicative and isolated, reaching a point where he didn't recognize loved ones and could barely answer "yes or no" questions.

And then came an iPod, a set of headphones, and the incredible power of music.

This video clip of Henry is from the documentary film Alive Inside, which chronicles the efforts of Dan Cohen, social worker and executive director of the non-profit organization Music & Memory. Cohen and his organization bring iPods to nursing homes, in the hopes of helping patients like Henry re-connect with the world through music.

Alive Inside opened in New York on April 18 at the Ruben Museum of Art.