People with Alzheimer’s and dementia sing their favorite tunes.(Photo: KARE)

“‘We know that music is stored in a part of the brain that’s last affected by Alzheimer’s disease,’ says Lenard, a former executive director of the Alzheimer’s Association for Minnesota and North Dakota.

“‘The emotions, the joy, the fun, the humor, that came with singing when they were 18 or 24 or 40 comes back,’ Lenard say.

“Among those who joined the choir is Doris Sterner of Edina, who sings next to her daughter Anne.

“Sterner’s medical condition, primary progressive aphasia, causes her words to jumble – a frustrating block to communication.

“‘She can’t say it, but she can sing the songs,’ says Anne Sterner, who exchanges happy glances with her mother, sometimes holding hands, during rehearsals.”

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