It happens all the time. You can’t recall the lyrics to a familiar song until you hear the music. Then the words come flowing back, as if you’d never forgotten.

This phenomenon is at the heart of a new program at Southminster retirement community that uses personally meaningful music and digital technology to improve the quality of life for people whose memories are fading.

It’s working for John Robison, 85, a retired Charlotte businessman who lives in the south Charlotte complex. He suffers from dementia and has trouble with short-term memory. But when he dons the earphones to his iPod, his foot starts tapping and his eyes light up in recognition of songs by crooners Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole.

Read more here: https://www.charlotteobserver.com/living/health-family/karen-garloch/article71181937.html