World Alzheimer’s Month 2024 Theme Mix Tape (Side B)
The It Hurts to Watch You Leave: World Alzheimer’s Month 2024 Mix Tape – Side B can be found on Spotify. Listen in-blog below for a more rich experience, or on Spotify for uninterrupted music. Please note below each song is a link to song lyrics for accessibility. Check out more details on how to best enjoy mix tapes.
Good day! I’m DJ Ponyboy. Welcome to the It Hurts to Watch You Leave: World Alzheimer’s Month 2024 Theme Mix Tape – Side B on KMTJ-DB – Your Mix Tape Journey – Denver, Colorado.
I begin this mix tape with a content warning. Our topic today is very sad and the songs are even sadder, especially if you have a personal connection with the devastating diseases of dementia. There is no shame in sitting this one out if you don’t have the capacity today; I completely understand – nobody will fault you and I will see you next month. 🥰
September is World Alzheimer’s Month, and September 21st is World Alzheimer’s Day. One of the fantastic organizations tackling the problem of Alzheimer’s is the Alzheimer’s Association.
With their Fall Match Challenge, your gift can be matched 2 times, up to $200,000, to accelerate global research and provide much-needed care and support.
Follow this link to donate to the mission of the Alzheimer’s Association.
It was devastating to watch my great grandparents suffer from dementia in their last years; I hope someday we can rid the world of this terrible illness.
In this exclusive “I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying” Very Special Episode – the second of three themed around the subject of Alzheimer’s and dementia (check out Side A here) – I attempt to capture the feeling of losing a loved one to memory loss. I tried to select tracks that reflect the grief, loss of connection, fleeting moments of connection, and emotional struggles experienced by those dealing with the cognitive decline of a loved one.
When we are children, it can be easy to believe those who take care of us are superheroes who can do anything; as we grow up, we realize that isn’t true, but slowly losing a parent or caregiver to Alzheimer’s or other dementia adds insult to injury, rubbing salt in the wound.
Kicking us off today, here is Massive Dog with “When You Were Superman” on KMTJ-DB, Denver.
Our next artist puts words to the feeling of watching a loved one’s mind slip away, singing, “As I watch you look off into space and I wonder where you’ve been, it hurts to watch you struggle with those demons in your head and it hurts to watch your tortured face as you try to find the thread”.
Charlie McGettigan and “Sometimes”.
One of the devastating things about Alzheimer’s is it’s a degenerative disease. A person suffering from this illness will only ever get worse.
The silver lining to this is it helps put into perspective how precious our time together is. As someone who is being slowly left behind, try your best to live in the moment and appreciate all the little ways you can connect with your loved one before those connections too are gone.
Our next artist sings about his father, “I know I can’t turn back time – we’ll slow it down while we can – I’m goin’ home to see him while he still knows who I am”.
Kenny Chesney. “While He Still Knows Who I Am” right here on KMTJ-DB, Denver, Colorado.
There are a lot of ways to improve your mental health, hopefully staving off Alzheimer’s and other mental illnesses, and I think one of the most effective ways to do that is by building connections. Connecting with yourself, with others, with nature, with meaningful employment, and more is so important for our health as human beings. We are social creatures and crave connection.
Check out Social Seahorse Connections, a project that magnifies remarkable people making social connections in the world today. Regular blog posts highlight people doing cool things that build social value (a term you’ll hear a lot over there!)
Most importantly, every blog post includes a suggested action you can apply to your own life to increase your social connections, impacting others, and making the world a more connected and meaningful place. You may never know the impact one small connection might have on someone’s entire life.
The narrator of our next song tells the story of her grandmother and all the people she connected with during her life, leaving them “Forever Changed”.
Carrie Underwood with “Forever Changed”.
One of the worst things about watching someone you love succumb to an illness you can do nothing about is the helplessness you feel. While it can be despairing, it’s important to be there anyway – it’s the most important thing you can do.
Jay Allen sings, “Wish I didn’t feel so helpless when it comes to helping you. Hold on so I keep holdin’ on. … I know you’re still in there. Deep down, somewhere, I swear I still see you between the blank stares”.
Jay Allen with “Blank Stares” on KMTJ-DB, Denver.
I’m DJ Ponyboy. Thank you so much for joining me today for this difficult topic.
Like I said in my last mix tape on this subject, I have cried more while making these three mix tapes than all the others combined. Make sure to give yourself some self-care today. Take a shower, eat some food, take a nap if possible, and hug the people you care about.
One way you can feel a tiny bit less helpless is to help us celebrate World Alzheimer’s Month by donating to the Alzheimer’s Association, one of the fantastic organizations tackling the problem of this terrible disease.
With their Fall Match Challenge, your gift can be matched up to $200,000, accelerating global research and providing much-needed care and support.
Follow this link to donate to the mission of the Alzheimer’s Association.
One of the interesting things about Alzheimer’s is how, while many times recent memories aren’t retained, those decades old can sometimes still be vivid and bright.
Here is Rascal Flatts with “Ellsworth” on KMTJ-DB – Your Mix Tape Journey – Denver, Colorado.
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It can be easy to underestimate how powerful a physical reminder of someone special can be; to a person experiencing dementia, a physical memento can act like a touchstone, helping keep them connected to the memories of loved ones as long as possible.
Enjoy the story of Lauren Elaina’s grandmother and “The Locket”.
Amy Black with “Hello”. Lauren Elaina before that with “The Locket”.
My favourite part of that last song is how the protagonist’s interaction with her father changes throughout the song, alternating between, “Remember me, Dad; I’m your youngest daughter”, and “That’s right, Dad; I’m your youngest daughter”, representing how the memory of those experiencing dementia can seem to ebb and flow – having “good days” and “bad days”.
While our next song isn’t specifically related to dementia or Alzheimer’s, relating instead to the death of a loved one, I think the theme of silence is apt, as dementia often manifests as a descent into silence, ending in the ultimate silence – death.
I think it is important to remember our loved ones as they were in vibrant life. In the words of the Chicks, “I’ll remember the years when your mind was clear, how the laughter and life filled up this silent house”.
The Chicks and “Silent House” on KMTJ-DB – Denver, Colorado.
“Silent House” by the Chicks.
Thank you for sticking around so far; I know this month’s theme mix tapes haven’t been easy. Next month we enter much happier territory with flip-side Halloween party playlists – Side A is kid-themed, Side B is adult-themed, and both are a bunch of fun.
Our last song today is inspired by the true story of an elderly couple living in Texas and experiencing early signs of dementia. They left to attend a music concert fifteen miles away and a few days later were found dead in their car at the bottom of a cliff hundreds of miles away from where they started.
Tom Scalzo, lead singer of American alternative rock band Fastball, saw a way of looking at the tragedy with rose-coloured glasses and wrote this hit, which stayed at #1 on the US charts for seven weeks in 1998 and has remained an enduring classic.
Without further ado, please enjoy this week’s last track – Fastball with “The Way”
Thank you again for joining me today. I hope you had a good time listening, singing, and crying with me here on KMTJ-DB – Your Mix Tape Journey – Denver, Colorado.
Until next time, I’m DJ Ponyboy – stay gold.