Columbus Dispatch: A Part for Everyone in OhioHealth’s Neuro Choir

For the close to three million people who sustain a traumatic brain injury each year, singing in a choir may not seem like the logical road to recovery, especially for patients who have recently experienced serious, life-threatening injury.

However, numerous studies have indicated that singing has both a positive and therapeutic effect when used to treat neurological disorders. Singing regularly impacts a number of symptoms that occur in patients recovering from stroke or other brain injury, including helping with speech abnormalities, regulated breathing and increased vocal strength.

For neurological patients at OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital, singing has provided a unique way to bounce back from the effects of their injuries. Made entirely of individuals who have suffered strokes, traumatic brain injuries or who have been diagnosed with a neurological disorder, the choir has been lifting the spirits of both its members and audiences for the past year.

“When they’re given that diagnosis, their life changes. ... Some of their independence is taken from them,” Chad Miller, MD, medical director of neurocritical care at Riverside Methodist, told Dispatch reporter Allison Ward in a recent interview. “It’s a way of feeling whole again. When they’re achieving something like that in the choir, they’re bringing joy and entertaining. It’s not just an improvement in their physical state.”

The Neuro Choir has welcomed patients seeking treatment options for anything from short-term memory restoration and vocal endurance, to physical improvement in things like posture and blood circulation.

You can find the Neuro Choir performing anywhere from the lobbies of Riverside Methodist, patient floors, and even at the Ohio Statehouse. Right now, the group is looking forward to caroling around the halls of Riverside Methodist in celebration of the holiday season.

The Neuro Choir is just one of the many support programs offered to neuroscience patients and caregivers through The Dempsey Family Education and Resource Center.

To learn more about OhioHealth’s neuroscience support programs, click here.

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