KIPS BAY — As the first few bars of “The Twist” rang out inside Saint Peter’s Church on Lexington Avenue on Thursday, John Consolini cleared a space off to the right of the stage.
He started subtly, with a few hip jerks to the left and the right. But soon, the 74-year-old was in full swing, twisting so low he would have made Chubby Checker himself proud.
“As you probably have seen, I like to dance,” said Consolini, who lives in New Jersey with his wife, Peggy. “They refer to me as Mr. Twist.”
Consolini wasn’t just a rogue church member trying to shake things up. He was part of a unique concert performed entirely by dementia and Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers. Their set list featured almost 20 songs, including "Fly Me to the Moon," "Smile" and "Besame Mucho."
The concert on Thursday was the culmination of a three-month-long pilot study conducted by the Psychosocial Research and Support program of the Center of Excellence on Brain Aging at NYU Langone Medical Center. The purpose of the project was to study the benefits these individuals can reap from singing together.
While some members of the chorus may be lacking bits and pieces of their memories, they haven’t lost their sense of humor. They have named themselves The Unforgettables.
Consolini was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2006. At the time, he was also suffering from hydrocephalus, also known as water in the brain. Consolini's skull still bears a raised lump from where doctors inserted a shunt to treat the condition.
The Alzheimer’s, however, is incurable. Still, Consolini’s wife, Peggy, said the music has helped.
“It makes such a difference,” Peggy, 71, said. “You can roll up and be depressed and not enjoy life, or you can face it head on.”
Consolini has opted to enjoy. As a result, he has developed what he called an odd morning routine.
“[Every morning,] I thank God that I came through another night’s sleep,” he said.
Then Consolini looks in the mirror, leans in and kisses his reflection.
“And that’s the way I start my day,” John said with a laugh.
“He really does,” Peggy added, chuckling next to her husband.
“If I don’t like myself, then I’m defeating everything that my family stands for,” John said.
The Consolinis are just one of several families that have participated in the NYU study, run by Dr. Mary Mittelman.
“This is a pilot study,” said Mittelman, who started conducting research on how to help family caregivers of dementia patients 25 years ago. “We’re trying to show how much non-drug therapies can help people with dementia and their families.”
There is no cure for Alzheimer’s or dementia, Mittelman said. But there is the potential to improve quality of life and the relationship between patient and caregiver, both of which she is actively studying through the choral group.
“They’re starved for things they can still do together,” Mittelman said. “This is bringing out the normal part of them that gets forgotten when they get turned into a patient.”
Mittelman and her team have measured levels of depression and quality of life throughout the study, with the final round of data collection to take place next week now that the study has concluded.
But Mittelman doesn’t want the program to end. She is currently looking for funding to keep the project going and to conduct a randomized control trial to “prove with scientific methods what you could see in their faces,” Mittelman said.
“It could be more powerful than any available drug,” she added.
Leonard Trent, 86, who suffers from Lewy body dementia, has seen tangible benefits from his involvement in the chorus.
For one, he and his care giver, Phyllis, have seen marked improvements in his short-term memory.
“His long-term memory is great…but the short-term is not so good,” Phyllis said. “They’ve found that through music, they can remember better.”
But apart from the cognitive benefits, Trent has become a bit of a star.
“I only became famous about a year ago,” Trent said with a smile.
He was the lone soloist in the concert on Thursday. Even though he has no formal vocal training behind him, Trent performed a powerful rendition of “I’ll See You Again.” The chorus’ conductor introduced him to the audience as a “treat.”
“I think it’s terrific,” said Trent. “It brings people with the same problems together and lets them express themselves.”
The concert marked the end of the study, but Mittelman and many of the participants want to keep singing.
“He loves this,” said Phyllis. “I hope they will be able to continue.”
