Music is a Soothing Balm to Many Alzheimer’s Patients

There are lots of stories of regarding people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease who may not remember the name of a close relative but can sing a song or whistle a tune they knew before the disease robbed them of their other memories. Experts say this is true even in the very late stages of the disease and is why many long-term care homes offer music to help promote wellness and enhance memory for those with dementia.

Listening to music is a meaningful activity for many with Alzheimer’s and can aid in soothing and calming as well as lifting spirits. It can create a connection for a person who no longer has the ability to speak, and caregivers has seen residents give impromptu hugs and kisses or engage in gentle, rhythmic movements such as rocking in a chair or patting their leg to the beat.

Jörn-Henrik Jacobsen, a scientist at the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig, Germany, and the University of Amsterdam, published a study in the journal Brain that compared the brain scans of 32 young and healthy men and women with those of 20 people with Alzheimer’s disease. Jacobsen found musical memory may be spared – unlike other parts of the brain – throughout Alzheimer’s disease progression. The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America explains, this is because “following the rhythm or beat to music by whistling or singing comes from a part of the brain that doesn’t require cognitive functioning.

At the MorningStar of Arvada senior living community we offer 112 bright independent and assisted living suites as well as provide 29 secure memory care suites in our Reflections’ wing devoted to caring for those with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Every aspect of our memory care addresses the needs of our most tender residents from the physical design of our community right through to our food service. Please visit our website for availability; your loved one deserves the finest memory care Arvada CO offers.   

Source: 

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