Family Serving Families is at the heart of everything we do at Harmony  and our Memory Care is no exception. For this reason, we are excited to introduce our new Memory Care Program - Reflections.
We use validation techniques partnered with art and music to accept and "go into" the resident's reality or "world". This is a way of interacting with the resident focused on understanding and accepting the resident's interpretation of the surroundings and sense of self within the framework of their unique history and preferences. – Jeff Gruber CDP Regional Clinical Director

Reflections is a Family-Focused Art and Music Centered Memory Care Program which engages the resident's present-day experiences while stimulating positive memories through therapeutic visual and tactile aids. Learning as much about the resident from our family partnerships is the basis for all of our programming. We start the partnering process by working on the life story - a process for collecting and sharing the resident's life history, preferences, routines, and habits. This discovery process influences how the resident will engage with each component of the Reflections Program.

The 5 Key Components of Reflections:

• Family Focused
• Wellness
• Reflections Program
  - Echoes in Time - Art Therapy
  - Rhythms Music Therapy
• Dining with Dignity
• Harmony Square Neighborhood

Harmony’s Reflections program encourages the parts of the brain responsible for creativity and human connection. The two marquis programs of Reflections are our Echoes in Time Art Program and Rhythms Music Program. “Music and Art combined create opportunities for residents to experience enhanced communication and self-expression.”
The Reflections Program allows every resident to tell their story through art and music. The program focuses on each resident’s stage of Alzheimer’s or dementia and is a conversational experience that stimulates positive memories. Visual and Tactile Aids are provided which residents will interpret through art and music using a variety of mediums including paint, dance, and song. By actively creating, residents are engaged in an enjoyable experience that focuses them away from their daily concerns or disorientation and allows them to express their creative communication process. Seniors with cognitive and memory challenges benefit from art and music therapy by expressing new and abstract forms of communication.

The benefits of art and music therapy include:

• Increased socialization with peers
• A sense of confidence and independence
• A means of self-expression and creativity
• Strengthening of essential motor skills

Caring for our Memory Care residents like they truly are our family sets our Memory Care apart. Contact your local Harmony community today to learn how we can make Harmony home for your loved ones.