Music Therapy In Dementia Patients: Use An IPod To Get A Better Memory!

I recently read a writeup on the Wall Street Journal website related to the use of music therapy in dementia patients. The post said that one of the criticisms of iPods is that persons who use them are apt to shun relationships with other people and remain in an insulated world of their own. However, recent study of stroke and dementia patients are revealing that iPods and other MP3 players frequently have the opposite end results.

By listening to some old familiar songs, advanced Alzheimer's patients can reconnect with their memories and with each other in some extraordinary ways, especially for folks with degenerative brain diseases. For example, as reported in the Journal, listening to rap and reggae on a borrowed iPod every day helped a 28-year-old stroke patient to learn to walk and use his hands again.

In another example, a 52 year-old man who fell out of a fourth-floor construction site and suffered a crushed larynx became so fascinated with music that he composed 400 songs and made four albums. An 85-year-old Alzheimer's 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 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 highly useful. They have observed for decades that Alzheimer's patients can recall and sing songs long after they have stopped recognizing names and faces. Hospitals and nursing homes have been using music as recreation for a long time, since it causes patients pleasure. Moreover, beyond the amusement value, there is meaningful evidence that listening to music can also help stimulate apparently lost memories, and even help reclaim cognitive function in some cases. (via IPod Therapy for Alzheimer's Patients, WSJ.com)

As a senior myself I am a big fan of iPods and similar devices for senior citizens. I myself have an iPhone, which is basically an iPod with a telephone built into it. I am aware that many of you will be cynical because you think such devices are too challenging for seniors. However, as research as shown, using complicated devices can be quite effective in minimizing memory loss due to aging. Now we have discovered 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 dementia, 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 great for those who are willing to be creative thinkers and attentive in applying its use. IPod music therapy in dementia patients is a classic example.

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