If you stroll by Institute on Aging’s new Enrichment Center in the Presidio, which houses a day program for dementia clients, and you hear the sounds of a piano coming from the building, it’s not your imagination.
We are pleased to announce a formal partnership between Ensemble San Francisco (ESF) and Institute on Aging (IOA), beginning with the loan of a baby grand piano. Recently, the chamber music organization received a beautiful baby grand piano on loan thanks to a generous donor, and ESF struck up a virtuoso idea: house the piano at the Presidio location, where it could be used for concerts, parties and the enjoyment of the Enrichment Center’s members. The piano will be officially “dedicated” during Music Mixer: ESF at the Presidio, on March 30, 2020, the first of many events we hope will inspire community to gather around music.
For many years, ESF has been performing at Institute on Aging’s (IOA) Enrichment Center for those living with dementia and other cognitive challenges. Not only do the Enrichment Center’s members greatly enjoy the beautiful music, but research suggests that listening to or singing songs can provide emotional and behavioral benefits for people with dementia. Musical memories are often preserved in those with dementia because key brain areas linked to musical memory are relatively undamaged.*
This marks a wonderful new chapter in the partnership between ESF and IOA that will bring the continuous gift of music to those who visit the Enrichment Center space.
About Institute on Aging: Founded in 1975, Institute on Aging (IOA) is one of California's largest community-based nonprofit organizations providing comprehensive health, social, and psychological services for seniors and adults living with disabilities. IOA's mission is to enhance the quality of life for adults as they age, by enabling them to maintain their health, well-being, independence, and participation in the community. Long considered one of the most innovative and diverse organizations of its kind, Institute on Aging currently touches the lives of more than 20,000 seniors and adults with living disabilities and their families each year through programs designed to alleviate isolation and enable older adults to continue living independently in the community.
* Graff-Radford, Jonathan. “Can music help someone with Alzheimer’s?” April 20, 2019, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alzheimers-disease/expert-answers/music-and-alzheimers/faq-20058173/.