Senior moments: Music not only therapeutic to seniors, but often life-changing By Jackie Byrd
A column for seniors and those who love them
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Music is no luxury to them (Alzheimer's patients) but a necessity and can have power beyond anything to restore them to themselves and to others at least for a while. - Oliver Sacks, psychiatrist, in his best-selling book Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain.
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In a recent issue of Aging Today, the newsletter publication of the American Society on Aging, Barbara Jacobs, a therapeutic musician, writes about the effect of music on a person with Alzheimer's disease. "In my dozen years as a therapeutic musician in nursing homes, I have repeatedly witnessed the beneficial power of music for those with Alzheimer's," writes Jacobs. "People in my classes who are virtually speechless and confused begin to sing, hum and sometimes dance once they are stimulated by the music. The benefits of music and singing, such as mood improvement and calmer behavior, often persist for hours after the music has stopped."
Music, even ignoring reports of benefits for the ill, is one of the most precious and creative gifts given to the human race. Senior Moments loves to remember the quote from the fabulous gardening columnist, Henry Mitchell, in the Washington Post who once wrote: "What a joy (is music), at least the Mozart efforts, when the war is on and the dog is sick and God only knows where the money will come from. A normal person is bound to spend much of his life flopping about, much at sea in a world that is not so much evil as asinine and flashed with beauty at inappropriate times. Meanwhile, the music billows right along, wide and welling up from God only knows what."
Since the early 1990s, researchers have found increasing evidence that music, wonderful on many separate levels, may provide significant benefits for the person with Alzheimer's disease. A growing body of evidence indicates that music can stir emotions and memories, enhance enjoyment and self-esteem and enrich the lives of people with dementia. An article by researchers at the Fisher center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation indicates that music may also be beneficial for those who care for Alzheimer's patients. While music may seem to bolster attention in both healthy older adults and those with Alzheimer's, some researchers have found that music may even play a role in helping to ward off Alzheimer's. Researchers from the Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University in Chicago found that retired orchestra musicians who had spent a lifetime playing musical instruments were less likely to develop dementia in old age.
Canadian psychologists gave tests of music appreciation to people with severe dementia and found that even in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, when many people are unable to speak or communicate, people retained the ability to recognize musical tunes. One 84-year-old woman with severe Alzheimer's, for example, continued to sing old songs from her youth, and joined in whenever music was played to her. She twisted her face in disapproval when tunes were played wrongly, sometimes exclaiming "Oh, dear!"
Apparently musical abilities are located in areas of the brain generally unaffected by Alzheimer's disease. At the University of Maryland Medical Center, it has been reported that music therapy can reduce wandering and restlessness and increase chemicals in the brain that enhance sleep and ease anxiety.
None of the researchers suggest that music can reverse the ravages of Alzheimer's disease, or take the place of a well-structured program of care giving or necessary medical treatment. Rather, music therapy can complement and enhance other forms of treatment. A familiar tune or old musical favorite may stir emotions and memories. It may prove soothing and encourage social connections among those stressed by illness. Singing a round of "Rock-a-bye Baby" may help to ease agitation during difficult times of the day such as when the sun goes down. People with Alzheimer's often sing or hum tunes from their teenage years - even when they can no longer remember the names of their children.
In her article, Jacobs offers tips for providing a positive musical experience for Alzheimer's patients. Start with a warm-up activity such as reminiscing. Play CDs of familiar singers, such as Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole, and briefly discuss each artist. This will often get people in the mood to sing. Visit local music stores to find CDs from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. Find songs from when the clients were teens or young adults. When you lead a sing-along for the elderly, go at a slower pace. Sing the songs more slowly and in a lower key than usual. Often you can obtain song lyrics on the Internet, and print them out in enlarged typeface.
By the way, don't forget to add singing, whistling and humming to your own daily activities. It will lift your mood, too.
Jacobs has produced a series of musical sing-along DVDs for Alzheimer's patients and senior citizens. You can view them at www.frontrowseatvideos.com. As Henry Mitchell knew, music can open hearts. It is good to learn that it can also open minds, even those affected by dementia.
Thank you for reading. Stay well. See you next week.
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The writer, a longtime resident of Bowie, is secretary of the Maryland/D.C. chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and a member of the Elder Law Section of the Maryland State Bar Association. You can e-mail her at jbyrd@byrdandbyrd.com.
