Council Bluffs native to pitch music program for Alzheimer’s patients at REV
Michael Wheeldon of Council Bluffs will ask the judges at REV Pitch 2026 to back a business that uses music to help people with Alzheimer’s disease. Wheeldon is one of five finalists who will present Thursday, Nov. 5, at PACE’s Hoff Family Arts & Culture Center. More than $21,000 in prize money is at stake. Tickets are $15 and are available at tsbank.com/rev.
His company, Syndicate of Sound and Synapse, builds music programs around each patient’s own tastes, with the aim of reducing agitation and improving quality of life. A synapse is the point where two brain cells communicate, and Wheeldon said he chose the name to reflect the company’s mix of music and neuroscience. “I wanted to almost treat music like a prescription drug,” he said.
Wheeldon’s first job was in dietary services at a nursing home where his grandmother worked as a caregiver in the Alzheimer’s unit. He later earned degrees in neuroscience and philosophy from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and worked as an intern with gorillas and orangutans at the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium. He said some of the behavior he saw in the apes reminded him of patients with late-stage Alzheimer’s who live in care facilities. Wheeldon, who plays guitar and piano and has played in heavy metal bands, also brought his instruments to nursing homes and hospice. He said he saw music calm patients going through “sundowning,” a period of confusion and agitation that often comes in the late afternoon and evening.
Each program starts with meetings with the patient, family and caregivers to learn what music the person enjoys. Wheeldon said the music has to fit the listener. “I don’t imagine that elderly patients are going to be very relaxed if they listen to my heavy metal,” he said. The company can also measure the stress hormone cortisol in saliva samples taken before and after music sessions, so families and doctors can see whether a patient’s stress is going down. Wheeldon said doctors and families need options that do not depend on medication. He is also working on virtual reality settings that would recreate a familiar place, such as a patient’s longtime home, for someone who has moved into a care facility.
Wheeldon said he first had the idea in 2015, and he formed the company in February 2024. “I want to leave something positive behind,” he said. He took part in REV’s spotlight program last year and applied again this year. He was first named an alternate and moved into the finals when a spot opened. Wheeldon said last year’s event led to his first meetings with venture capital firms. He said his main concern for Thursday is keeping the science simple enough for an audience of business people. “I’m going to have nerves no matter what,” he said, “but once I’m up on the stage and going through it, it’ll be fine.”
