HOW MUSIC AIDS IN ALZHEIMER’S CARE
Music can help those who suffer from the disease. Music can help caregivers too.
Research on music and Alzheimer’s disease tells us that there are no easy answers. But we do know that music can be a very powerful tool in the care of patients with all diseases of the mind. Each person brings a lifetime of different experiences with many types of music. Reaching into that very personal history with music provides another way to engage the mind, relax the body, and soothe the soul. When we find the right piece of music and use it carefully, wonderful things happen.
Staying Involved Through Music—Things To Do Together
1. Find the music that your loved one enjoyed during earlier times. Make a list of those songs and carry the list with you. Think of each song, try to remember the words, makeup the words you can’t remember, and sing it whenever you get the chance. Sing it softly. Sing it with gusto. Breathe deeply and relax. Enjoy the song and all the memories that the song recalls. Add songs to your list. Search for recordings of favorite songs which present the melody clearly—simple arrangements are best.
2. Schedule an exercise or range-of-motion session and use a variety of music—music that is energizing and worth listening to. It’s hard to sit still while listening to a good march, fiddle tune, polka, rag, tango, a waltz or the blues. Any gentle movement that loosens the joints or maintains muscle tone is good. Be creative and have fun. Invite a friend. Include the children. Let the music motivate you to move.
3. Share a listening experience—classical, popular and folk music and the rich heritage of favorite hymns and gospel songs. Bid a library of tapes and CD’s of your favorite music and artists. Set the radio present buttons to stations that you like. Have a large-print list of these presents hands, for example #1 = Big Band, #2 = Country Music, #3 = Classical. If the preset buttons are too small, stick colored labels or larger numbers on them. Be sure to tell others in your caregiving team what you have done.
4. See a video of a favorite musical show, perhaps an early Broadway musical or a concert by a favorite artist. Look for musical shows on television. They’re often on PBS, Bravo, and the Arts and Entertainment channels. Record a show so that you can see it later and fast-forward through the breaks.
5. Use all the music that you loved one likes as part of your daily care. Try using favorite songs to distract during times of agitation, anxiety, repetitive speech, and repetitive movements. Sometimes favorite music during bathing or eating is helpful. Try quiet music; try livelier music. Use music to mark periods of the day—getting up, lunch, and going to bed. Let the music be an antidote to the blahs. Write out your own prescription for 10 songs a day…and see what happens.
Appropriate musical experiences help us to remember the past, live in the present, and have hope for the future.
Reference: Dawn C. Wooderson, Ph.D. – Wood Song, 6035 Fox Creek Dr., Cumming, GA 30040-8720
Tel: (770) 887-5700 Fax: (770) 887-8020 E-Mail:
1534 Dunwoody Village Parkway, Suite 204 • Dunwoody, GA 30338 • (770) 392-8952
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