Shown is a display of donated Ipods. Shown is Willenborg with her 74-year-old mother whom she says is a poster gal for brain health. Shown is Willenborg facilitating a music therapy session at a senior living facility in central Illinois. Arbor Rose residents are joined by their Executive Director Tonya Green (fourth from the left) and Willenborg (far right) to break in newly donated instruments. Area seniors participate in some of the music engagement activities from The Healing Jukebox. The celebratory shout from a nonverbal man with early on-set of Alzheimer's moved MyMemoryWorx and The Healing Jukebox founder, Kelly Willenborg, of Effingham, to tears. The unexpected loud burst came out almost on cue during a music therapy session Willenborg was leading at an area senior living facility. She said it occurred while drumming to a song by the Champs. “The jaws on the staff dropped and tears filled their eyes," she said. She also shared of an experience where a woman in hospice jumped out of her chair and danced and sang with joy for 20 minutes straight during a session. "I have been moved to tears by the difference just 20 minutes of the right music can make on folks who have been robbed of so much," said Willenborg. Willenborg's companies have a singular mission of promoting brain health and building cognitive reserves through music engagement for those who are suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's. "Our mission is to engage seniors in non-pharmaceutical interventions by means of cognitive stimulation, socialization, relationship building and, by all means, music," Willenborg states on The Healing Jukebox website. The Healing Jukebox (HJB) was founded in 2010 and for five years offered the Music Circle focusing on musical and rhythmic engagement with familiar songs and themes of interest at area senior living facilities. The facilities can receive a starter kit equipped with headphones, iPod, a small amount of iTunes cash, along with some tips for success. With the program, the music therapy advocate, traveled to about a dozen clients in the region offering the HJB product focusing on mind and body therapy whereby the residents would play hand percussion instruments such as maracas or bell sticks. Since launching, MyMemoryWorx in March, Willenborg said HJB has been a little less active. Willenborg is currently seeking volunteers with basic rhythm, energy and compassion to lead groups of seniors such as grad students, mom’s seeking part-time activity while their kids are in school to help restart the Music Circles. MyMemoryWorx focuses on educating the community, healthcare professionals, and in-home caregivers about their services. The business focuses on pen and pencil activities such as language, mental math, and critical thinking to build cognitive reserve. Those with mild to moderate impairment are tested at the beginning of program and again at the end. The companies offer speaking events and workshops focusing on non-pharmacological interventions, specifically on bootcamp activities for boosting brain volume in addition to music for a better mind. November is Alzheimer's Awareness Month. "The reality is that big dollars get thrown at pharmaceutical use. So in the face of the Alzheimer's epidemic we also have an epidemic of over-medicating," said Willenborg. National policy is gearing toward lowering the use of anti-psychotic medicines in living facilities, she said. Through research and the implementation of this iPod program, a study of several hundred residents in Wisconsin showed up to 50 percent reduction in some cases. Toronto has provided every Alzheimer's patient with an iPod -- 10,000 designated overall. "I like to keep an eye on how the UK and Canada are managing a better quality of life amongst its aging," she said. MyMemorxyWorx offers free cognitive/memory screenings. She said until physicians' offices start offering quick screens during routine blood pressure reads and heartbeat checks then "we are falling behind," she said. She said all those 55 and older, including healthy people, should have a baseline screening. By doing a screening, there is a baseline read to monitor changes in the brain in the years to come. In the past few weeks, Willenborg has delivered starter kits to Arbor Rose in Charleston. Her companies have supplied 10 living facilities, a dialysis center and cancer center in central Illinois. They also serve the Metro-East areas, she said. Arbor Rose Executive Director Tonya Green said her residents are reaping the benefits of the donated starter kit that offers a tambourine, maracas and bells. "Music therapy is a huge benefit to our residents," she said. "It's very therapeutic." They have implemented the music for the residents during their exercise time, and it makes exercise fun for them, she said. The iPods are loaded with music that take the residents back three or four decades to happier memories. She said because their memory loss is short-term, they can often remember back 30-40 years. "Our staff goal is to make each day a happy, special day for our residents," said Green. "Adding the music, brings happiness to our residents." The Arbor Rose administrator also gave an example of using the instruments with the residents and pretending they were part of a marching band in a parade. She said they absolutely loved it. Green had heard about the Healing Jukebox at many of the conferences she had attended. "In reaching out to Kelly on this, I have seen her passion for it," said Green. "She loves what she does and is remarkable in what she's doing for this population." The entrepreneur, who has worked in sales and marketing for more than 20 years said she is always looking for schools, businesses, Rotary groups, and churches to host a new or used iPod drive. Source
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