Music Therapy In Dementia Patients: Write A Prescription For Some Musical Favorites In Support Of Memory Recovery!
I recently browsed a story on the Wall Street Journal website related to the use of music therapy in dementia patients. The writing indicated that one of the criticisms of iPods is that people who use them tend to avoid friendships with other people and stay in an isolated world of their own. However, recent monitoring of stroke and Alzheimer's sufferers are disclosing that iPods and other MP3 devices in many instances have the contrary consequence.
By listening to some old well known music, advanced Alzheimer's patients can relink with their memories and with each other in some astonishing ways, especially for people with degenerative brain diseases. As an example, as reported in the Journal, listening to rap and reggae on a borrowed iPod each day helped a 28-year-old stroke victim to start to walking and make use of his hands again.
In another occurrence, a 52 year-old man who fell out of a fourth-floor building site and suffered a crushed larynx became so absorbed with music that he composed 400 songs and produced four albums. An 85-year-old Alzheimer's patient in Florida listens to her favorite opera and Yiddish songs each day on an iPod with a home health aide or her daughter when she comes to visit. According to her daughter they listen for at least one-half hour a day and "It seems to touch something deep within her."
Caregivers have known for many years that music therapy in dementia patients can be remarkably effective. They have observed for decades that dementia patients can still remember and sing tunes for some time after they have stopped knowing names and faces. Hospitals and nursing homes have been using music as diversion for a long time, since it brings patients pleasure. Moreover, beyond the entertainment value, there is significant evidence that listening to music can also help improve apparently lost memories, and even help reclaim cognitive function in some cases. (via IPod Therapy for Alzheimer's Patients, WSJ.com)
As a senior myself I am a big fan of iPods and related devices for senior citizens. I myself have an iPhone, which is pretty much an iPod with a telephone built into it. I am aware that many of you will be skeptical because you think such devices are too difficult for seniors. However, as research as shown, using complicated devices can be quite efficacious in minimizing memory loss due to aging. Now we have discovered that the musical functionality can be helpful even for those who have already suffered memory loss.
Well, okay, you may not want to actually leave an iPod in the hands of a person who is experiencing cognitive decline, but such a device can certainly be used, under supervision, to provide the kinds of music therapy in dementia patients set out in this article. Technology can be very helpful for those who are willing to be creative and farsighted in applying its use. IPod music therapy in dementia patients is a great illustration.
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