Current gerontology minor Jeannie Ake and the first graduate of the program, Joanna Hartness, work on music intervention at Wellspring Continuing Care Community under supervision of GROWTH faculty affiliate Cassandra German.
Music entertains us and enriches our lives. It also brings back memories and can transport us to a different time and place. Through a variety of mechanisms – both evident and unseen – it can play a strong role in our well-being, at any age.
A study called “Music and Well-Being,” directed by Dr. Cassandra Germain, recent faculty teaching statistician in the UNC Greensboro School of Nursing and a faculty affiliate of the Gerontology Research, Outreach, Workforce, & Teaching Hub (GROWTH) network, seeks to examine the effects of music in the quality of life of adults with dementia or cognitive impairment. The project goal is to help reduce the symptoms of depression and anxiety through individualized “music interventions,” or 15 to 20-minute listening sessions, which take place at Well·Spring Solutions’ Day Advantage adult day center.
Rising senior Jeannie Ake, one of the Music and Well-Being team members and a UNCG Honors College student, has a passion for working with older adults. A philosophy major with a minor in gerontology, and a special interest in music therapy, Ake learned about the study last year from her professor in the Gerontology Program, Dr. Rebecca Adams. Ake’s grandmother, who was born in 1924, passed away several years ago and had dementia. Ake says her love for her grandmother inspired her to pursue something that could help people in that position.