FAMILY HISTORY UNDER THE MICROSCOPE
UNVEILING THE HARMONIES OF REMEMBRANCE: FAMILY HISTORY AS THERAPY FOR DEMENTIA
Looking at the Applications of Family History for our Health and Well-being: PART 3
In this series of articles professional genealogist Emma Jolly will be examining the many facets of family history and investigating the ways in which, and to what extent, family history may be utilised for the benefit of health and well-being.
“At 93, so deep in dementia that she didn’t remember any details of her life, my mother somehow still knew songs.”
Even amid the fog of dementia, where recollections fade and details vanish, it is a remarkable phenomenon that the essence of our being can still find comfort in familiar songs. In an evocative piece titled “Are You My Mother?” (published in The New York Times Magazine in August 2004) the acclaimed writer Floyd Skloot eloquently portrayed this phenomenon, highlighting how music provided a lifeline to his mother’s past.
Recent scientific investigations have delved into the enigma, shedding light on the profound impact of familiar stimuli in the realm of dementia therapy. Whether through music, objects, or images that resonate with personal histories, these triggers possess the capacity to ignite
fragments of remembrance, charting a course through the labyrinth of forgetfulness. This growing understanding has led to an appreciation of family history as a therapeutic aid and memory catalyst for those afflicted by dementia. There is a belief that dementia is hereditary and thus one’s family history can be the cause of it, so the notion that family history could offer such profound benefits, in the context of dementia, may come as a surprise to many. After all, statistics from the Alzheimer’s Society reveal that approximately one in four individuals over the age of 55 has a close family member affected by dementia. However, while genetics can be a factor in some cases, age remains the primary risk factor for developing dementia. It is not possible to directly inherit dementia when it is caused by a complex disease. In rare instances, dementia can be directly linked to a singlegene disorder, allowing for its inheritance from one generation to the next.