Music Therapy In Dementia Patients: Use An IPod To Prompt Brain Health!
I not long ago checked out a bulletin on the Wall Street Journal website concerning the use of music therapy in dementia patients. The content indicated that one of the criticisms of music playback devices is that persons who use them tend to stay away from conversations with other people and stay in an isolated world of their own. However, recent studies of stroke and Alzheimer's sufferers are showing that iPods and other MP3 players in many cases have the contrary effect.
By listening to some old often encountered songs, advanced Alzheimer's patients can reconnect with their memories and with others in some astonishing ways, especially for those with degenerative brain diseases. As an example, as reported by the Journal, listening to rap and reggae on a borrowed iPod each day prompted a 28-year-old stroke sufferer to learn to walk and utilize his hands again.
In another example, a 52 year-old man who fell out of a fourth-floor building site and suffered a crushed larynx became so fascinated with music that he composed 400 songs and made four albums. An 85-year-old dementia patient in Florida listens to her beloved opera and Yiddish songs every day on an iPod with a home health aide or her daughter when she drops in. According to her daughter they listen for somewhere around a half-hour a day and "It seems to touch something deep within her."
Caregivers have been aware for many years that music therapy in dementia patients can be tremendously useful. They have observed for decades that Alzheimer's sufferers can recall and sing tunes for an extended time after they have stopped recognizing names and faces. Hospitals and nursing homes have been using music as enjoyment for a long time, since it causes patients pleasure. Now, beyond the delight value, there is meaningful evidence that listening to music can also help stimulate apparently lost memories, and even help revive cognitive function in some cases. (via IPod Therapy for Alzheimer's Patients, WSJ.com)
As a golden-ager myself I am a big fan of iPods and similar devices for senior citizens. I myself have an iPhone, which is pretty much an iPod with a telephone built into it. I am conscious that many of you will be doubtful because you think such devices are too complex for seniors. However, as research as shown, using complicated devices can be quite useful in reducing memory loss due to aging. Now we discover that the musical features can be helpful even for those who have already suffered memory loss.
Well, okay, you might decline 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 imaginative and wise in applying its use. IPod music therapy in dementia patients is a consummate illustration.