Konstantin Postumitenko
Music Seniors
Most of us tap our toes or sway our bodies when we catch a song on the radio that we enjoy, but music is more than just a way to evoke involuntary dance moves. In seniors, music can transform emotions, allowing the body and brain to deal with isolation, depression, grief and even pain.
It’s not surprising that music therapy has become one of the more popular forms of physical and emotional treatment and is now being offered in schools, community centers and assisted living facilities. For older adults, it can give them an outlet for socialization, creativity and mental stimulation.
Studies show music can elevate the mood of individuals and lower the body’s level of cortisol, a hormone that contributes to stress and anxiety. Music can also improve a senior’s physical health because it encourages activity through dance or other movements, like toe-tapping or clapping.
The Mayo Clinic even reports that music therapy can help individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease and other types of dementia because music memories are often preserved in key areas of the brain that are left undamaged by the disease.
Research has found that music is beneficial to people struggling with all types of cognitive decline since the memory of the song or sound stays with them longer than the ability to recall a person’s name or a past event. In some cases, music has shown to be more beneficial than traditional prescription medication or even physical therapy.
These studies have even shown that stroke survivors, for example, who listened to daily music while recovering enjoyed improvements in memory over survivors who only listened to audiobooks or nothing at all. The music listeners also were likely to be less depressed and confused.
There are two forms of music therapy: active music therapy, which involves singing, dancing or playing instruments and receptive music therapy, which involves listening to the music and reflecting on its meaning and the performers’ experiences.
While clinical music therapy is often performed by professional counselors, caregivers can also help their loved ones enjoy music and bond with them over the activity from the comfort of their home. Try these ideas to introduce music into your loved one’s life:
- Alter your loved one’s moods by playing music: No one genre is any more therapeutic than another but picking music from a generation that is familiar to the senior in your life can help persuade their moods. Some caregivers who have tried this say that playing a senior’s favorite songs during difficult tasks reduces their agitation and keeps their spirits up.
- Make music together: If you or your loved one can play an instrument, don’t hesitate to include it in your activities. But, even if neither of you ever played, there are still easy-to-play instruments like the triangle, bells or other simple percussion instruments that can be incorporated into your routine.
- Travel back in time with music: Music and memory are intertwined. By playing music popular in a senior’s past, a caregiver can help to resurface memories from an older adult’s past. Discussing these memories can help your loved one with memory loss.
- Make a date with music: Even if your loved one can no longer get out to the symphony or a concert, caregivers can reenact these types of events by watching or listening to live performances by the older adult’s favorite musical entertainers. Make a night out of it if you can by dressing up and providing refreshments.
In addition to these special activities, caregivers can introduce music during routine daily events. Downloading their loved one’s favorite tunes to a device like a cell phone or laptop or even subscribing to a music service like Spotify can be an easy way to fill the air with sound. If finances are a problem, many services have free subscriptions, however the choices can be limited. YouTube is free and has an endless variety of music for any taste and it also provides video your loved one can enjoy.
The key is to find the music your loved one likes best and then play the music while talking to them about their favorite artists or what memories the music evokes. Start introducing music into your daily routines and see if it helps the overall quality of your life and the life of your loved one.