How Can Music Benefit Older Adults Who Have Alzheimer’s?
By Home Care Assistance Des Moines 9 am on
Listening to music, playing instruments, and singing along to favorite songs can boost memory skills and enhance emotional health in seniors with Alzheimer’s. To enhance your senior loved one’s quality of life, add music therapy to the daily routine. Learn how music can help your senior loved one while managing the challenges of Alzheimer’s disease.
Stimulates the Mind
Music keeps the mind engaged and strengthens self-esteem, which is vital as Alzheimer’s progresses. Failing to manage the disease could harm your loved one’s mood and overall wellbeing. However, listening to music may bring immediate joy and reduce anxiety and depression. Singing is a meaningful activity that provides a sense of control. Music can also activate the left side of the brain, which is responsible for how your loved one thinks, feels, and processes information.If your loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, help is just a phone call away. For reliable Alzheimer’s care, Des Moines families can turn to Home Care Assistance. We are a leading provider of professional memory care designed to help seniors maintain a higher quality of life. In addition to Alzheimer’s care, we also provide comprehensive dementia, Parkinson’s, and stroke care. From revolutionary care programs to compassionate and dedicated caregivers, we can meet all of your Alzheimer’s home care needs.
Promotes Stronger Social Connections
Social connections can have a significant impact on mental and cognitive health. Older adults with Alzheimer’s often have difficulty finding ways to connect with family and friends as the disease progresses, causing their odds of depression to increase. Listening to music can help elderly people bond with their family caregivers as well as their grandchildren, friends, and other individuals. While listening to music, your loved one may want to dance to the songs. Dancing with you and other family members may provide a sense of closeness. Touching is a way to trigger memories for older adults living with Alzheimer’s.
Boosts Brain Health
When music enters your loved one’s brain, it could increase the amount of dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter that makes him or her feel happy. The enhanced mood can also increase the immunity-boosting antibodies and cells that protect against toxins and harmful bacteria that cause Alzheimer’s to progress. If your parent decides to play an instrument, this could increase the grey matter in his or her brain, which helps the organ function better. Your loved one can play an instrument he or she has always enjoyed in the past or try something new like the guitar, banjo, or piano. Playing an instrument could increase your loved one’s learning abilities and boost his or her memory.Professional caregivers with training and experience in cognitive stimulation can be a wonderful resource for seniors with Alzheimer’s. If your senior loved one has been diagnosed with a serious condition and needs help with tasks like meal prep, transportation, bathing, and grooming, reach out to Home Care Assistance, a leading provider of senior home care Des Moines, IA, families can trust. We also offer comprehensive care for seniors with dementia, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s.
Helps with Daily Tasks
Bathing, feeding, and bedtime routines can become difficult for family caregivers due to behavioral problems seniors with Alzheimer’s are likely to experience, such as agitation and anger. To ease these moments, you should play music. The sounds can set the mood and calm your loved one down. Make sure to choose a soothing melody. For instance, if you want your loved one to relax, avoid playing songs with fast-paced beats. To prevent overstimulation, remove other sources of noise, such as television. Hearing too many sounds at once can increase confusion in seniors with Alzheimer’s.If your loved one has dementia or Alzheimer’s, compassionate professional care is available. Caring for a senior loved one can be challenging for families who don’t have expertise or professional training in home care, but this challenge doesn’t have to be faced alone. Family caregivers can turn to Home CareAssistance for the help they need. We provide high-quality live-in and respite care as well as comprehensive Alzheimer’s, dementia, stroke, and Parkinson’s care. For compassionate, reliable in-home care, trust the experienced professionals from Home Care Assistance. Reach out to one of our dedicated Care Managers today at (515) 264-2438 to learn about the high quality of our in-home Alzheimer’s care services.