I recently looked over a bulletin on the Wall Street Journal website about the use of music therapy in dementia patients. The article said that one of the criticisms of music playback devices is that persons who use them tend to avoid relationships with other folks and stay in an insulated world of their own. However, recent study of stroke and Alzheimer's patients are revealing that iPods and other MP3 players often have the reverse consequence.
By listening to some old common songs, advanced Alzheimer's patients can link back with their memories and with each other in some surprising ways, especially for folks with degenerative brain diseases. To cite an example, as stated in the Journal, listening to rap and reggae on a borrowed iPod every day helped a 28-year-old stroke patient to start to walking and use his hands again.
In another case, a 52 year-old man who fell out of a fourth-floor construction site and suffered a crushed larynx became so captivated with music that he wrote 400 songs and made four albums. An 85-year-old Alzheimer's patient in Florida listens to her beloved opera and Yiddish songs each day on an iPod with a home health aide or her daughter when she visits. 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 very effectual. They have observed for decades that Alzheimer's patients can recall and sing tunes long after they have stopped recognizing names and faces. Hospitals and nursing homes have been using music as recreation for a long time, because it brings patients pleasure. Now, beyond the entertainment value, there is meaningful 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 citizen 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 phone built into it. I am cognizant that many of you will be skeptical because you think such devices are too challenging for seniors. However, as research as shown, using complicated devices can be quite efficacious in minimizing memory loss due to aging. Now we discover that the musical features can be helpful even for those who have already suffered cognitive decline.
Well, okay, you may not want to actually leave an iPod in the hands of a person who is experiencing Alzheimer's, 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 highly beneficial for those who are willing to be creative thinkers and farsighted in applying its use. IPod music therapy in dementia patients is a classic example.
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