The Alzheimer’s Support Center offers access to free, live music on a weekly basis.
It’s the final day of August and inside the Cape Cod Mall in Hyannis, a small group of kids are running, jumping, tumbling and doing what kids typically do.
Less than a hundred yards away, Bob Dugan strums his electric guitar, playing a mix of original songs that toe the line between rock, blues, and jazz. Wearing a T-shirt, shorts, and sandals, he fits perfectly on this sandbar known as Cape Cod; he’s dressed as if he does not want to let go of summer just yet.
A wall of glass separates Bob and the kids outside. The dichotomy between the two scenes is subtle but apparent. Outside, there’s the future, filled with play, curiosity, and innocence.
Inside are more than three dozen people. Many are seniors. They are seated. Some nod their heads softly to the music. Others tap their feet. Some have their eyes closed.
Do they remember when they were kids? Do they remember when they were full of energy – when they could run and run, and run some more?
“This song here is the first song I ever wrote. This one stuck with me. It’s been my companion for years,” Dugan shared in the middle of his set. “I can’t believe it. I’m 74 years old. I keep looking behind myself and there’s nothing here. It’s a bunch of memories.”
Here at the Alzheimer’s Family Support Center, memories are the one thing they can’t give to the people they serve.
But they can give them moments like this. Joy. Laughter. Connection.
You can’t put a price tag on these moments, but the Arts Foundation knows they are valuable, especially for those facing memory loss.
It’s why the Arts Foundation invested $4,000 in January to support free cultural programming at the center that includes its Musical Monday series, which features musicians like Dugan. The series started shortly after the center moved into the mall in 2021.
“There’s been lots of research on how powerful music is for people with cognitive loss,” said the support center’s Co-founder and Cultural Director Melanie Braverman. “It is really a connecting tool for people across the cognitive spectrum, from early memory loss to the late stages. Music touches something deeply primal in our brain, so programs like this are an obvious fit for our community.
“These are diseases of connectivity. People are losing their neural connectivity so anything that brings people back into the community is a great thing,” she continued. “Music is such a great thing to reconnect them to our community, to artists, and to each other. It is a beautiful thing and works on so many different levels for us.”
Musician Bob Dugan performing for the Alzheimer’s Support Center in Hyannis, as part of their Musical Mondays series. The program was supported with a grant from the Arts Foundation in January.
Cultural programming – like a free Bob Dugan concert on a Monday afternoon – offers a friendly gateway to all the center does to support individuals facing Alzheimer's and dementia.
“Getting people in the door helps to chip away at the stigma of the disease,” she said. “Also, I don’t think any of us have enough fun in our lives. One of the biggest selling points of this program is it is really fun.”
No matter one’s age, fun makes our lives more fulfilling and more joyful, a much-needed beacon of light and hope for individuals facing such a cruel disease.
“What do you love about music?” Melanie Braverman asked during Dugan’s performance in August.
“It’s soothing,” one woman shared.
“It makes us happy,” another chimed in.
“What about relaxing?” Melanie asked.
Several “yeses” filled the room that included people living with memory loss, caregivers, and Alzheimer's Family Support Center staff.
As he prepared to launch into his next song, Dugan offered his thoughts: “This is really food for my soul. I love entertaining you. You are my entertainment, seeing your reaction and the smiles.” ■
The Arts Foundation is committed to funding programs that use the arts as an avenue to improve individual and community health, and which use creativity as a pathway to addressing the healthcare needs of our community.
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