Brydie’s story

Music therapy sessions gave Brydie a place to connect with others and rediscover her sociable nature.

Brydie lived with dementia, and she moved into Belong, a community care village, in 2022 at the age of 96. Sadly, Brydie has now passed away. When she lived at Belong, she loved to be as independent as possible, and could move around a little with a frame. The staff at Belong knew from Brydie’s notes that she enjoyed company, however, she seemed to often isolate herself in her room. So, they referred her to music therapy with our music therapist Pamela to provide her with an opportunity to spend time with others.

At first, Brydie went to some of the group music therapy sessions in the activities space in the care home. Loving music and the company of others was in Brydie’s nature, and Pamela, her music therapist said, “when I met her in music sessions, she always seemed so full of warm vitality”.

Brydie began to attend the group session less and less as her dementia progressed. So instead, Pamela would join her wherever she was. This would often turn into a small group session. Pamela would often start out with a well-loved song, and residents would want to join in, and would sit with Brydie and have a musical get-together.

While Brydie loved company, living with dementia can be very isolating. And this, combined with physical difficulties, made it hard for her to connect with people. But on days where Brydie was agitated, upset or in physical discomfort, music really seemed to help.

There would be difficult times for Brydie, when she sometimes felt agitated, ‘stuck’ or in physical discomfort, but the first few notes of a song would be enough to break through and change her day.

Pamela, Brydie’s music therapist

Although living with dementia can be isolating, music can bring people together. Up until the very last few weeks of her life, music stayed a source of joy and connection for Brydie. It was a part of who she was, and it seemed to remind her of her sociable, fun-loving nature. And through music, Brydie could rediscover and enjoy these parts of herself, and share these moments with others.