Louisville Seniors Benefit from Musical Therapy When Living with Alzheimer’s Disease

Louisville Seniors Benefit from Musical Therapy When Living with Alzheimer’s Disease

Five Alzheimer’s Association Tips for Selecting Music While Caregiving for Louisville Seniors

Musical Rewards for Seniors with Alzheimer’s

In a BrightStar Care publication written by our very own Sharon Roth Maguire, MS, RN, GNP-BC Chief Clinical Quality Officer at BrightStar Care; illustrates that individuals in the late stages of Alzheimer's can benefit by playing music aloud or through headphones at home or in public. When Alzheimer’s patients tap into a musical beat or sing lyrics to a song from their youth. Sources show that music provides a way for them to connect, even after verbal communication has become difficult for some, as the disease sets in.
 
“In 2018, University of Utah Health researchers found that music activates the salience network of the brain, an area spared from Alzheimer’s disease. The findings provide a different approach to managing anxiety, depression, and agitation in patients with dementia. The researchers also found that music can make Alzheimer’s symptoms more manageable and improve your loved one’s quality of life.”
 
Many residential care facilities have music programming for older adults, but your loved one can also enjoy the benefits of music therapy at home. The Alzheimer’s Association has tips for selecting music:

1. Select music that’s familiar and enjoyable to your loved one. If possible, let them pick the music.
2. Play music from a source that doesn't have commercials; the interruption of an ad can lead to confusion.
3. Choose music that aligns with a desired mood. For example, soothing music can establish a calm environment, while a faster-paced song from a loved one’s youth may boost their spirit and remind them of happy memories.
4. Encourage your loved one to dance, clap, or sing along.
5. Don’t use music as a background filler during meal time, and eliminate competing noises by shutting windows and turning off the television. Too much noise can be overwhelming or distracting.

You can also bring instruments into your own home and give your loved one the opportunity to play instruments such as a rainstick (a hollowed out piece of wood that is filled with beads or pebbles and makes the sound of rain falling), xylophone, drums, or a guitar. If your loved one plays a musical instrument, help them enjoy the instrument for as long as possible.

Related reading: Music Therapy and Activities for Seniors
Source: https://www.brightstarcare.com/resources/alzheimers-dementia/music-therapy-alzheimers

 

BrightStar Care of Louisville joins the fight against Alzheimer's and support families living with the disease. We strive to provide families with hope while caring for your loved ones facing memory loss, and provide a higher standard of home care for dementia. Please visit our website for more information: http://ow.ly/7InU30oRWcP #EndAlz #AlzheimersAwareness #Dementia #Alzheimers #BrainAwareness