Music Therapy In Dementia Patients: Prescribe An IPhone For Better Cognitive Health!

I recently browsed a story on the Wall Street Journal website about the use of music therapy in dementia patients. The report indicated that one of the criticisms of music playback devices is that people who use them are inclined to avoid friendships with other people and remain in an insulated universe of their own. However, recent studies of stroke and Alzheimer's patients are disclosing that iPods and other MP3 players frequently have the opposite end results.

By listening to some old common music, advanced dementia patients can link back with their memories and with each other in some unexpected ways, especially for folks with degenerative brain problems. As an example, as stated by the Journal, listening to rap and reggae on a borrowed iPod every day prompted a 28-year-old stroke sufferer to start to walking and use his hands again.

In another incident, a 52 year-old man who fell out of a fourth-floor construction site and suffered a crushed larynx became so absorbed with music that he composed 400 songs and made four albums. An 85-year-old dementia 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 about 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 extraordinarily efficacious. They have observed for decades that Alzheimer's sufferers can remember and sing tunes long after they have stopped knowing names and faces. Hospitals and nursing homes have been using music as amusement for a long time, since it causes patients pleasure. Now, beyond the enjoyment value, there is important evidence that listening to music can also help improve apparently lost memories, and even help rebuild 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 comparable devices for senior citizens. I myself have an iPhone, which is basically an iPod with a telephone built into it. I am cognizant that many of you will be doubtful because you think such devices are too confusing for seniors. However, as research as shown, using complicated devices can be quite efficacious in minimizing memory loss due to aging. Now we have determined that the musical features can be helpful even for those who have already begun to suffer memory loss.

Well, okay, you might decide not 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 amazing for those who are willing to be imaginative and discerning in applying its use. IPod music therapy in dementia patients is a perfect illustration.

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