Boy Scout uses music to help seniors

Irmo native Jamie Anderson, a Boy Scout in Troop 95, believes in the healing power of music for seniors with memory loss based on very personal experience.

Two of his grandparents died from Alzheimer’s. When his grandfather was in the later stages of the disease, a family friend loaded some of his favorite music onto an MP3 player. He loved to listen to the music and Anderson will never forget how it always made his grandfather smile and relax.

As part of his quest to become an Eagle Scout, Anderson has raised more than enough money on a GoFundMe page to buy 20 MP3 players and headphones for the residents at Colonial Gardens Assisted Living and Memory Care in West Columbia.

With the help of his fellow Scouts, they loaded music that was popular around the time when most of the residents of the unit were between the ages of 18 and 30. Research has shown music from this period in their lives is most effective in calming Alzheimer’s patients and relieving stress and anxiety in unfamiliar surroundings.

Jamie and his fellow Boy Scouts presented the MP3 players at a special event at the community July 19.