A man with a debilitating condition that leaves him struggling to communicate with his family is "brought back to life" with his favourite songs.
Eddie O’Brien, 74, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's three years ago after his family noticed he was forgetting names and getting lost on his way home. Daughter Rebecca, from Warrington, said they began to worry after he was robbed while he was out.
She said: "The two men stole £500 out of his bank accounts because he’d kept his pin number in his wallet. And another time, he said he had got on the wrong bus home, but he couldn’t remember where it had taken him to. And that’s when we started having quite a lot of concerns really."
READ MORE: Couple thrown from seats after hearing 'loud bangs' on TUI flight
But despite often struggling to verbally communicate, Rebecca, 30, began playing his old tunes and bought him some headphones, and she watched as his mood transformed before her eyes. Although the retired decorator is especially fond of Elvis, the 30-year-old said Eddie is quite happy to bust out his "crazy moves" to any music and will often be "up dancing".
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive disease that leads to severe memory impairment and a decline in a person’s behavioural and social skills.
The senior support worker added: "It’s just a breath of fresh air to be honest, because it can be so heart-breaking. A lot of the time, it makes people angrier and more agitated and frustrated because they don’t know what’s going on.
"But with my dad, he just doesn’t seem to care, and I think that’s the best way to be, he’s absolutely loving life now. And he just has these crazy moves - you can just tell he’s just so happy, and it just really brings him back to life."
While Eddie responded well to medication, Rebecca said it was hearing his favourite old songs that really brought him out of his shell. She said: "During covid, me and my dad were in the car and we went to my cousin’s to drop a present off, and I put some of his old music on in the car. After, we had a few drinks at home – and my dad was just up jumping and dancing."
She went on to say: "He absolutely loves Elvis, but any kind of music, any kind of beat, he literally just loves it. One of his favourite Elvis songs is 'Suspicious Minds' but he also loves 'Bad to Me' by Billy J Kramer and 'Peggy Sue' by Buddy Holland.
"He still goes to one of the pubs every Monday between 2-7pm. The DJ there messaged me to say he doesn’t have to do his job because my dad gets everyone dancing. He said he always used to do 'the stomp’ and he tries to show it to me, but I don’t know what it is."
Rebecca said there were still days when Eddie’s illness weighs heavily on his family but added that he remained upbeat despite his chronic prognosis.
Grace Meadows, campaign director at campaign group Music for Dementia, which calls for people with the illness to have music as an integral part of their care, said: "It’s wonderful to see how Eddie is moved and brought back to life by music.
"Music has the power to create beautiful moments of togetherness, to enliven, stimulate and enable people to express themselves. It can help people with Alzheimer’s in so many other ways too, providing a channel through which to manage symptoms of the conditions and emotions.
"It can bring joy when they’re feeling down or create a sense of calm if they’re agitated or anxious, as well as create wonderful, shared experiences with loved ones. We hope many other families will be inspired by Rebecca and Eddie’s story and put a personal playlist together to see how music can work for them too."
READ NEXT:
Two shootings and armed masked gang spark new police powers in troubled are a
Husband and wife drop 27 stone after being abused in the street
Dad, 73, attacked by gang of 15 kids while out alone on his bike
Nurse's dying wish to have ashes returned to family grave in Liverpool
Police seal off St Johns Precinct after men attack bus driver
