When I was little, I’d lock myself in my room with a million Barbies and listen to this one record of kids songs over and over and over again. When I was pregnant with my first son, I was determined to find that record and I did (on CD), which my kids now play on “Repeat.” It doesn’t matter that it’s about 40 years later and I’m a mom of two, living in a different state. When I hear that CD, I’m immediately back in my old bedroom, smelling my mom’s spaghetti, trying to cram Barbie’s foot into a pair of heels.
Music has an incredible power to bring us back to a time and place of years ago. It calms us, improves our mood, and for seniors, it can be almost magical. There’s lots of research on the effect of music on people who have dementia. Google it and you’ll find amazing videos of otherwise unresponsive seniors coming alive to music. (Search “Man in nursing home hears music” and you’ll find my favorite, about a man named Henry. Simply amazing.)
We have a client with advanced Alzheimer’s who is immediately soothed by Polish songs. And another who hears Frank Sinatra and asks me to dance. Music is powerful even if you don’t have dementia. Studies show it reduces pain, improves heart rate, and staves off depression. Any type of music may work, but often the most powerful music is what we grew up with—what our parents sang to us or what we listened to in our teens and 20s.
My father-in-law spent a lot of time watching TV in his last years. By “a lot,” I mean the TV was on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Fox News, Dateline NBC, unsolved crimes …. Over time, it began to affect his mood, his opinions, and his overall state of mind. So when we’d visit, we made it a point to turn it off sometimes. During dinner, we’d play his favorite—Ella Fitzgerald. My father-in-law was a pretty sedate guy, and the music didn’t make him jump and dance, but I think he always talked a little more, reminisced, and seemed more present when music was on. There’s a scientific reason for that—familiar songs make the brain light up and become more active—something the TV doesn’t do.
So, if you have an aging loved one you are caring for, give music a try. Even if he doesn’t seem interested, you may be surprised by what happens over time. If she used to play an instrument, put it in front of her again. Roll her over to a piano, set a guitar on his lap. Music might not be a magic elixir for everyone but it’s worth a try.
Molly Rowe owns FirstLight Home Care with her husband, Steve Rowe, and lives in Swampscott with their two sons. FirstLight provides non-medical in-home care to adults in Swampscott, Marblehead, Nahant, Lynn, Salem, Peabody, Danvers, Beverly, and Lynnfield. For more information and help caring for your loved ones in the comfort of their own homes, please visit FirstLight’s website at www.salem.firstlighthomecare.com or contact Molly at 781-691-5755/[email protected]
Home Care Services
Home Care Jobs