About Us
The DePaul Alive Inside club draws on student interests in neuroscience, music, and service to grow meaningful community engagement with Chicago's aged population with a particular focus on brain health. Persons over the age of 65 represent the world's fastest growing population, and as societies become older, the need for effective and meaningful strategies to improve and maintain cognitive health increases. Significant evidence supports the use of music to restore brain functions, including the memory loss observed in dementia patients, especially those with Alzheimer's disease. Our club aims to raise awareness for the therapeutic value of music and the aging brain by bringing the health and wellness of music directly into Chicago-area nursing homes. Students will find a unique opportunity to explore means of using music as therapy and its healing power when prescription medicines fall short. This outreach will provide student members with the opportunity to learn and appreciate the neuroscience of health and disease, the joy and power of music, and the value of multidisciplinary approaches to problem solving. DePaul University’s mission emphasizes academic excellence, service to others, and a commitment to social justice. The Alive Inside organization aligns with these values by fostering education and service to engage within the community. Through guest speakers to direct opportunities to volunteering at community service facilities, students will be able to explore the potential to use music as a source of medicine to help senior residents. By providing service-based opportunities, the organization upholds DePaul’s Vincentian values of helping underserved populations and addressing health disparities.
