Happy Summer! June is Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month, a time to highlight the importance of brain health and the profound impact of Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurological disorder that affects memory, thinking, and behavior. It's the most common cause of dementia, impacting millions of people worldwide. While there is currently no cure, various therapies and interventions can help manage symptoms and improve the quality of life for individuals with Alzheimer's (alz.org). At Perfect Harmony Health, we witness through our memory care groups how music therap ..read more

The music we listen to can have a big influence on our mood. Many of us have energetic playlists for when we’re happy and excited. Sometimes when we feel stressed or upset we have go-to songs that help us feel comforted. We are highly affected by the music we’re surrounded with daily.  But why do we experience these strong emotional connections and responses to music? People have always noticed how music influences our emotions and ability to regulate them. The more successful we are at regulating our emotions, the more comfortable we feel within ourselves and within our experiences. We w ..read more

It is officially May, which means summer is quickly approaching once again. Summer is a time for rest for many of our students and clients but also a time for social and community engagement. At Perfect Harmony Health, we strive to create programs that amplify and spread our core values to our clients. Perfect Harmony Health CARES, and we hope that shows in our year-round programming and in our summer programming.  Our summer programs are a place for individuals to be creative, socialize, and feel supported with respect and empathy. We have 3 summer programs that we would love to see our ..read more

Did you know that April 10th through 15th is World Music Therapy Week?  World Music Therapy Week is an annual celebration that shines a light on the power of music to change lives. Music therapists can address various non-musical goals within a therapeutic relationship. Music therapy can help with speech, language, motor, cognitive, psychological, and social needs, and more! Music has the power to improve well-being. As we say at Perfect Harmony Health, music therapy can ‘Connect the Brain, Compose the Mind, and Synchronize the Body.’ During this week, clinicians, educators, and those imp ..read more

Happy World Down Syndrome Day! Today is a day to celebrate the extra personalities, laughs, and smiles that those with Down Syndrome bring us! To celebrate, we want to share a wonderful local resource available: Gigi’s Playhouse! Gigi’s Playhouse is a non-profit with locations all around the United States, but specifically, one in Alpharetta, GA! It is right down the street from our practice and has just opened a brand new portion of its facility! “GiGi’s Playhouse was created to change the way the world views a Down syndrome diagnosis and send a global message of acceptance for all.” Sim ..read more

What is rheumatoid arthritis? Arthritis = inflammation of the joint Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that makes the body’s immune system mistakenly attack your joints, causing pain and inflammation. Rheumatoid arthritis is different from osteoarthritis, which is the most common in older adults.  Symptoms Organ damage in the lungs, eyes, or heart. Pain/aching in multiple joints Joint stiffness Tenderness/swelling in multiple joints Weight loss Fever Fatigue/tiredness Weakness Same symptoms on both sides of the body Prevention and Control Specifically, reduc ..read more

I was watching a television show with my husband recently when a poignant scene unfolded where an adult son and his mother were arguing. To settle the argument, he went to a piano and played a song most of us know well, ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. The show writers didn’t include the backstory, but as they both started to sing together and the tension lifted, it was evident that there was a backstory and that this was a shared song between the two that brought down their heightened emotions and reminded them of their shared love for each other and made the ..read more

As I sat down to write this article, I was considering the vast diversity of populations we serve at PHH and I found these two very different programs on my mind. One, a therapeutic choir for individuals with Parkinson’s Disease (PD), where adults from the greater Atlanta area congregate once a week to engage in Neurologic Music Therapy exercises and learn music specifically chosen to support their vocal production and maintenance. The other, a social skills performing arts group for teens and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Down Syndrome, and other developmental and neurolo ..read more

Singing is more than just singing when a neurological condition is involved. For those with these conditions, a brief conversation can leave them out of breath. For them, singing becomes a race - a marathon, even! Long-term neurological conditions (LTNCs) such as Parkinson’s Disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy are shown to cause a decline in respiratory function. These adverse effects are attributed to the weakness of respiratory muscles which causes insufficient lung volumes and a reduction in ventilation. This impairs gas exchange and retains carbon dioxi ..read more

As we quickly approach the holiday season, music is everywhere. We sing at parties, family gatherings, traditions, and more. When we decorate our Christmas tree or when we light our Hanukkah, singing brings people together. When we think of the holidays, we might even think of our favorite holiday songs that we look forward to hearing on the radio or on our favorite Spotify playlist. No matter where we hear it, these songs that we hold so dear to our hearts can also have therapeutic effects. Therapeutic singing (TS) is defined as, “the more generalized use of singing activities for a variety o ..read more