Pianist with dementia who composes in seconds is a hit on World Alzheimer's Day

An 80-year-old man with dementia is able to compose an original tune on the spot, demonstrating the enduring power of music for those with the condition on World Alzheimer’s Day.

Paul Harvey has amassed over a legion of fans on #WorldAlzheimersDay (21 September) after his son, Nick Harvey tweeted a video showing his talent.

Nick Harvey gave Paul Harvey some random notes at his East Sussex home and asked if he could create a piece of music with the notes F, A, D, B.

The former teacher then played each of the notes and launched into an emotive piece of music which he had thought up on the spot.

'Beautiful melodies on the fly'

A tweet posted by @mrnickharvey reads: ‘Dad’s ability to improvise and compose beautiful melodies on the fly has always amazed me.

‘Tonight, I gave him four random notes as a starting point. Although his dementia is getting worse, moments like this bring him back to me’.

The power of music to delight and entertain people with dementia has long been used in the UK as part of dementia therapy.

According to Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) 152 million people are forecast to be living with dementia by 2050, and it is already the fifth leading cause for death worldwide.

Two out of every three people globally believe there is little or no understanding of dementia in their countries. The ADI says the stigmatisation and misinformation that surrounds dementia remains a global problem, that requires global action.

The Alzheimer’s Society is appealing to the public to donate money to the charity to help it support people living with dementia.

The charity’s chief executive Kate Lee said during the coronavirus pandemic “many people living with dementia remain cut off from their families, their communities and the support networks they rely on.

“This is having a devastating effect on their wellbeing. With your support, Alzheimer’s Society will be there to put a virtual arm around the shoulders of people with dementia and reassure them they are not alone.”