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Paul MacKenzie was having a good day.

On a recent Monday afternoon, he was in good spirits, making jokes and small talk. And he recognized his daughter and granddaughter — a tremendous feat for the 87-year-old, who has advanced Alzheimer's disease.

MacKenzie lives at Brooke Grove Retirement Village in Sandy Spring. His 18-year-old granddaughter, operatic soprano and James Hubert Blake High School senior Ashley Larkin, not only entertains residents and staff there, but uses her golden voice to improve her grandfather's memory.

She will join other musicians at a benefit concert this weekend to raise money for Alzheimer's research.

Brooke Grove spokeswoman Toni Davis has witnessed what Larkin's singing does for MacKenzie.

"When he's not sure where he is, he hears her voice and it brings a peace and calming to him," Davis said.

Larkin and her mother, MacKenzie's daughter Rosalie Larkin of Silver Spring, visited him April 18.

"Today, he knew who we were, but couldn't say our names," Rosalie Larkin said.

MacKenzie's good day turned into a great one when his granddaughter told him she was going to sing for him.

She can sing arias in multiple languages, but MacKenzie's favorites are the songs he would hear her sing in church as a child, such as "O Holy Night" and "Amazing Grace."

Even as Larkin practiced her pitch, her grandfather lit up in a smile.

As she belted the opening verses of "Amazing Grace," the look on MacKenzie's face was empty and blank.

Slowly, his body language changed. His right foot began move up and down to the beat. Then, a wide, open-mouthed smile escaped, lighting the room and eliciting tears from the people around them.

For MacKenzie and other Alzheimer's patients, nonverbal communication can access memories and nostalgia, said Dr. Ted Howe, Brooke Grove Retirement Village medical director.

"In Paul's case, Ashley has a way to access his memory through nonverbal ways," he said.

"He can respond in nonverbal means, and what she has done has accessed a part of life that was meaningful to him, through [music]."

Described as a devoted family man and active churchgoer, MacKenzie spent decades as a butcher in Mount Airy, where he was known for handing out candy, cakes and other treats to folks in town.

"He is just the most warm-hearted person," Ashley Larkin said of her grandfather.?"He's still in there. Just not as much as he used to be."

With good days, there also are bad ones — days filled with confusion, frustration and the unfamiliar.

"Some days he prays to God to take him home," Larkin said.

Alzheimer's disease is degenerative, meaning symptoms become worse with age, according to the Alzheimer's Association, a nonprofit devoted to Alzheimer's care and research.

While he is in excellent physical shape, Rosalie Larkin said, he suffers from increased agitation.

"It's like losing part of him continually. Every plateau is hard," she said. "But when we see him and he's happy, it's a good thing."

nnourmohammadi@gazette.net

What is Alzheimer's disease?

Alzheimer's disease is one of a number of illnesses that causes cognitive impairment because of a buildup of abnormal proteins in the brain, particularly in the portions associated with memory and reasoning, said Dr.?Ted Howe, medical director at Brooke Grove Retirement Village in Sandy Spring.

Although verbal communication is difficult for Alzheimer's sufferers to express, forms of nonverbal communication, such as music in Paul MacKenzie's case, can help access and convey emotion.

"Emotions are often one of the things that are preserved relatively longer with Alzheimer's and dementia," Howe said. "Creating an experience where positive emotions occur and where they can be communicated, is creating the connectiveness between Paul and his family."

It is estimated 5.2 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's disease, 3.4 million of whom are women and 1.8 million whom are men, according to the Alzheimer's Association.

Forty-five percent of Americans older than 85 have Alzheimer's disease.

IF YOU GO

A Concert and Dance to End Alzheimer's will take place from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday at the Ten Oaks Ballroom in Clarksville.

Featured performers include the Olney Big Band, Ashley Larkin, M Street Bass Quintet and the Eubie Blake Jazz Ensemble.

Tickets can be purchased in advance online at endalzheimers.event

brite.com or via phone by contacting Toni Davis at 301-924-2811, option 3, for $27 each. Tickets also can be purchased at the door for $30 each.