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92-year-old woman with dementia remembers how to play Beethoven on piano

 ‘I don’t know it’, claims Elaine Lebar, before giving stirring performance

Eliza Ketcher
Thursday 12 November 2020 21:12 GMT
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92-year-old woman with dementia performs Beethoven on piano
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A 92-year-old woman with dementia has gone viral on TikTok with a performance of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.

Elaine Lebar, who has lived with dementia for 10 years, claims: ‘I don’t know it’, before turning to the piano and giving a moving performance of the classic work.  

Ms Lebar lives at a senior living community in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, where she plays piano for her fellow residents every Sunday.

“I began recording these impromptu concerts, wanting to preserve these memories for the inevitable time when she is no longer around,” Elaine’s daughter Randi told the Independent.

“I shared these videos on my Facebook page and was always amazed when they had been seen by more than 100 people!”

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Ms Lebar was unable to visit her mother for several months.

“She continued to play piano for the memory care residents, and occasionally I would hear her via Skype,” she said.

When she was able to see her mother in person again, she posted a video of Elaine playing with the caption: “My 92+ yo mother with dementia struggles through Claire de Lune. Playing for me live for the first time since lockdown”.

The video soon went viral, and people began requesting specific music.

“I did not anticipate that it would go viral but here we are," Ms Lebar said.

“I wanted to raise awareness of dementia, the effect of music, and the lack of understanding about the magic of the brain.”

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