Music Therapy for People with Dementia Offered at Holy Mountain Retreat Center

The Holy Mountain Retreat Center has offered free weekly music therapy sessions for people living with dementia and their caregivers since September 2. The sessions take place every Wednesday morning at 10:30 at the retreat center, located on the Graymoor property of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement in Garrison.

The program consists of one hour of sing-alongs involving rhythm, movement, and instruments such as the piano, guitar, accordion, and percussion. A music therapy specialist from the Institute for Music and Neurological Function in Croton-on-Hudson leads the sessions.

Kacey Morabito-Grean, the executive director of the Holy Mountain Retreat Center, said the program provides a supportive environment for participants and their care partners to connect. Morabito-Grean noted that offering these sessions for free aligns with the mission of the friars to reach out to the community.