Mexicali City Mariachi bands have long been a part of Mexican culture, and now their upbeat music is being used to help Alzheimer's patients regain their memories.
The Mexican Alzheimer's Center is pushing the therapy in the hopes that the music may jog patients' memories of earlier times and inspire them to sing or even dance to well-known classic songs. Leonor Camacho, a 90-year-old Mexican woman with Alzheimer's, stated, "It makes me extremely sad because I think about my husband, but aside from that, I listen to the music with delight because it brings back many memories that make me very happy. "In addition to her regular rehabilitation, which includes online tongue twister games with other patients and manual memory exercises, Camacho listens to songs containing references to her spouse, family, and friends.
The rehabilitation Programme, which features concerts across the city that patients may attend, started in September and will go through mid-November. It is conducted by female guitarists, violinists, and trumpeters dressed in cropped jackets and broad sombreros.
The performances take place in ballrooms, boats on the canals of the Xochimilco area in the south, and Plaza Garibaldi, the typical mariachi hotspot of the city, in the hopes that the settings may jog patients' memories. According to research, music activates neurotransmitters in the brain, forming a mental and emotional link that aids patients in remembering and conjuring up crucial moments in their life, according to Regina Altena, director of the Alzheimer's Center. The treatment, which was initially created in Germany 11 years ago, was modified for usage in Mexico by adding a mariachi element. The number of dementia sufferers in Mexico is believed to be 1.8 million, including Camacho, who has had Alzheimer's for five years. It is estimated that 1.3 million of them suffer from Alzheimer's. Camacho enjoys looking through picture albums with her daughter Maria del Rocio Maya in the afternoon, and she also keeps her mind active by cooking and performing other household chores.
Maria del Rocio reported that her mother had grown more animated and had resumed an active role in family life after Camacho started the mariachi treatment. According to her daughter, Camacho used to frequently sit by herself in a chair near the window.
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