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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Tips on Improving Memory

You don’t have to be a senior citizen to struggle with memory related issues. An article published in WebMD raises an excellent point about how modern life has put a strain in everyone’s memory:

There’s certainly a lot more information to commit to memory these days. “I used to have one phone number, one bank account, and no passwords,” my 73-year-old mother says wistfully. “Now, between work, home, and my cell, I have four phone numbers, plus a bank-account number ...

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Exercise for the Brain: How Your Workout Can Improve Memory

It goes without saying that exercise – any exercise – is beneficial for all of us and can increase our physical well-beings. But recent studies indicate that certain types of workouts and exercise can improve seniors’ mental well-beings, specifically, their memories.

This is great news for seniors at risk for mild cognitive impairment, a condition New York Times blogger Gretchen Reynolds, says “makes a person’s memory and thinking more muddled than would be expected at ...

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Our Seniors’ Stories: Lives Worth Living and Recording

“The unexamined life is not worth living.” – Socrates

It’s clear, based on the ever-increasing number of published biographies and autobiographies of the famous (and infamous!), there are many people who are more than happy to throw open the doors of their lives to scrutiny.

And while the autobiography of a celebrity or political figure can make for a compelling read (or in this day of books-on-disc, listen), the stories and remembrances of a loved one sound even more captivating. In recent ...

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Hanging Up the Car Keys: When it is No Longer Safe for Seniors to Drive

One of the most-asked questions of geriatric physicians throughout America won’t come as a surprise to many of you: When is it time to take away the keys? Also not surprising is that for many senior citizens being able to drive a vehicle represents the last bastion of independence.

Obviously, then, opinions and answers to the question can vary widely. Statistically speaking, in the US, there are currently around 35 million drivers who are 65 and older. Most operate their vehicles ...

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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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