Music Therapy: How Music Can Benefit Aging Seniors

Whether it’s Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata,” Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” or Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” music strikes a chord within just about all of us.

Studies show that people in every age group benefit from music therapy, which relaxes the body, reduces muscle tension, boosts productivity, decreases stress levels, and strengthens memory and learning.

Seniors especially benefit from the healing power of music through better awareness and concentration, enhanced interest levels, improved memory and recall, and increased mobility and coordination.
The Alzheimer’s ...

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Knowing When “Home Alone” Is No Longer a Good Idea

Paula Spencer Scott, senior editor at Caring.com, recently compiled a guide to help families determine when caregiver intervention is perhaps necessary. An abridged compilation of the most common signs and symptoms are listed below:

  • Recent accidents or close calls, like a fall, medical scare or car accident.
  • Slow recovery. How well was a recent illness weathered? Did it develop into something serious? Pneumonia? Was medical help sought ...
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Alzheimer’s and Dementia: When Lying is the Best Medicine

 

Caring.com, a wonderful resource for family members who are acting as caregivers, posts that being able to re-direct a patient is one helpful way to communicate your way through stressful moments.

“Re-direction” essentially entails changing the topic when the patient becomes obsessed with one subject and acts agitated or angry. Behavior that is often “out-of character” for a dementia patient can sometimes be thwarted when caregivers divert attention from stressful situations to something more pleasant.

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Early Onset Alzheimer’s and Dementia: An Epidemic?

When legendary Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summit divulged last October that she had been diagnosed with early onset dementia, a familiar face was matched with a condition that many Americans have come to know all too well. Like countless others, I was saddened by the news. But to hear her speak about the road she is about to endure with such a hyper-positive attitude honestly gave me goose-bumps. She’s a winner. No doubt.

Here are some important stats that you ...

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