Here’s the good news: More and more families and caregivers are discovering the many benefits of enabling their loved ones to enjoy their favorite music as they age—especially if their elders experience cognitive decline.
We’re all drawn to music and spend our lives steeped in our favorites. In fact, on average, people listen to 2.6 hours of music a day and 1.3 million songs during their lifetime!… Read more
Recently some friends from out-of-town were visiting, and our conversation turned to loved ones coping with dementia. Everyone understood how listening to personal music can improve quality of life. So, I asked whether it had been helpful.
“Yes,” said Joanne, whose Mom passed away this past year from Alzheimer’s. Joanne was so pleased that playing her mother’s favorite music helped to keep them close.… Read more
Research confirms that people living in care settings are more likely to thrive when they regularly listen to and engage with their favorite music. The music we love can shift our moods, make us happier, even prompt us to sing or dance. So, when your loved one needs to transition to assisted living or a nursing home, access to beloved music will be key to their quality of life throughout the days, months, or years in their new home.
Ten years and 50 million views ago, 92-year-old Henry Dryer’s message jolted us out of complacency. He single-handedly shattered the common misconception that dementia means you are no longer yourself, no longer “there.”
Largely unresponsive for years, he “lit up” when listening to a Cab Calloway song that prompted him to share his life story. Henry’s recorded experience led to the award-winning documentary Alive Inside and made tangible the profound benefits of hearing favorite music.
The Resident Engagement Institute, powered by the Linked Senior platform, is dedicated to defining a new era in resident engagement by establishing data-driven tools, benchmarks, and strategies that senior living operators can implement to engage residents in meaningful ways.
Recently, I spoke with clinical psychologist Dr. Jennifer Stelter, PsyD, CDP, CADDCT, CCTP, REI’s Chief Engagement Officer, about the Institute’s effort to enhance resident engagement by measuring and elevating psychosocial well-being.
I enjoyed this conversation with Kristen Howe on her Absolute Trust Talk video podcast, January 24, 2022, about integrating music-based interventions into healthcare, especially long-term care, and for all persons with dementia. We all know that music can affect our mood. An upbeat tune can cheer us up or a sad song can feel comforting when we are sad. What we also are now understanding is that music can affect our experiences in many other ways.
A speech therapist and passionate advocate for residents of care communities, Phyllis Ayman is the author of three books: Nursing Homes to Rehabilitation Centers: What Every Person Needs to Know; Overdue: Quality Care for Our Elders; and Dignity and Respect: Are Our Aging Parents Getting What They Deserve? We spoke recently about how families can better prepare for the transition to assisted living or nursing homes—and what it will take to ensure that their loved ones have quality of life, once there.
This article by Caroline Szachnowski was originally published on McKnight’s Senior Living, July 19, 2021.
An older woman with dementia may not remember the day of the week or what she last ate, but when given a headset, the dementia fog fades. She is transported into another world: one she remembers well. Memories of dancing with friends, singing along in the car and humming classic rock fill her mind.… Read more
A passionate advocate for expanding the role of volunteers in long-term care settings, Dr. Paul Falkowski is the founder of VolunCheerLeader LLC, a non-profit that trains volunteers to nurture personal relationships with people living in nursing homes. His organization also researches the efficacy of volunteers to impact quality of care and life. Initially trained as a musician, he became interested in gerontology by happenstance, when he visited a nursing home to play some music.… Read more
It’s been a hard year for all of us in Covid Time. But it’s been an especially hard year for people living in nursing homes. Not only was COVID-19 particularly deadly for nursing home residents, but also the virus provoked the imposition of severe social restrictions to protect residents’ physical health—all too often, at the expense of their emotional and mental well-being.… Read more
