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Music Therapy In Dementia Patients: Try An IPod In Support Of Better Brain Health!

Author: Craig

I just now looked over a story on the Wall Street Journal website concerning the use of music therapy in dementia patients. The writing stated that one of the criticisms of iPods is that people who use them tend to withdraw from communication with other folks and remain in an isolated universe of their own. However, recent studies of stroke and dementia patients are revealing that iPods and other MP3 devices oftentimes have the reverse end results.

By listening to some old often encountered music, advanced dementia patients can link back with their memories and with each other in some surprising ways, especially for people with degenerative brain conditions. To cite an example, as stated by the Journal, listening to rap and reggae on a borrowed iPod each day prompted a 28-year-old stroke victim to start to walking and use his hands again.

In another case, a 52 year-old man who fell from a fourth-floor building site and suffered a crushed larynx became so captivated with music that he composed 400 songs and produced four albums. An 85-year-old dementia patient in Florida listens to her favorite opera and Yiddish songs every day on an iPod with a home health aide or her daughter when she comes to visit. According to her daughter they listen for at least about half an hour a day and "It seems to touch something deep within her."

Caregivers have been aware for many years that music therapy in dementia patients can be very efficacious. They have observed for decades that dementia sufferers can still remember and sing songs long after they have stopped recognizing names and faces. Hospitals and aging care facilities have been using music as enjoyment for a long time, because it causes patients pleasure. Furthermore, beyond the delight value, there is significant evidence that listening to music can also help stimulate apparently lost memories, and even help restore cognitive function in some cases. (via IPod Therapy for Alzheimer's Patients, WSJ.com)

As a senior citizen myself I am a big supporter of iPods and related devices for senior citizens. I myself have an iPhone, which is pretty much an iPod with a telephone built into it. I am conscious that many of you will be dubious because you think such devices are too complex for seniors. However, as research as shown, using complicated devices can be quite effectual in minimizing memory loss due to aging. Now we discover that the musical functions can be helpful even for those who have already experienced cognitive decline.

Well, okay, you might decide not to actually leave an iPod in the hands of a person who is experiencing cognitive decline, 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 very helpful for those who are willing to be creative and farsighted in applying its use. IPod music therapy in dementia patients is a perfect example.

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