American Singer Tony Bennett has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder. In fact, it has been found that the 94-year-old singer is having the condition for more than four years.
In a recent interview with AARP (American Association of Retired Persons), Bennett and his family announced his diagnosis.
Bennett first started experiencing the symptoms of Alzheimer’s in 2015. He was having trouble remembering musicians’ names onstage. Bennett was 90 at the time and suspected that it was more than just normal aging.
He eventually went to see Dr. Gayatri Devi, a neurologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, who made his diagnosis.
On February 1, he tweeted, “Life is a gift – even with Alzheimer’s. Thank you to Susan and my family for their support, and @AARP The Magazine for telling my story.”
Dr. Devi told AARP, “Bennett has some cognitive issues, but multiple other areas of his brain are still resilient and functioning well. He is doing so many things, at 94, that many people without dementia cannot do. He really is the symbol of hope for someone with a cognitive disorder.”
The neurologist went on to say that Bennett follows a healthy diet, exercises, meditates, and receives family support, but it is the music that has been keeping him in good health.
Dr. Devi said, “(Singing and performing) kept him on his toes and also stimulated his brain in a significant way.”
The ongoing pandemic has put an end to his live stage performances and Bennett has experienced a slip in his memory. To overcome this issue, Dr. Devi has been encouraging Bennett to rehearse at least twice a week.
Music can help those with Alzheimer’s disease it relieves stress, reduces anxiety and depression, and reduces agitation, according to Mayo Clinic.
Previously, Dr. Greg Cole of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA told Health, “There’s music therapy where you can take people in later stages of Alzheimer’s who are seriously impaired and play the music they’re familiar with, giving them an electronic device that will let them revisit those songs. That helps them connect with the past more effectively than asking them if they remember it.” Bennett’s wife Susan told AARP, “Singing is everything to him. Everything. It has saved his life many times. Many times. Through divorces and things. If he ever stops singing, that’s when we’ll know …”
