An Excuse To Pick Up A New Hobby?  “Small Study: Singing May Benefit People With Early Alzheimer’s, Dementia.”

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel  (4/19, Pabst) reported, “For people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, learning to sing new songs and then perform in concert, alongside a family member or friend, could improve memory, self-esteem and mood. That’s what New York University brain and aging researcher Mary Mittelman believes after undertaking a pilot chorus program with 10 couples pairing a person with dementia and a family caregiver or close friend.” Now, “with a two-year, $80,000 grant from the Helen Bader Foundation to the NYU School of Medicine, a similar pilot chorus program will be started in Milwaukee, only the second city to test Mittelman’s innovative program.”