Music Is Therapeutic For Seniors

Music therapy has been proven to help some seniors restore and maintain their health, as well as help them recall memories and fight depression. Music can soothe seniors, energize them, revive their memories, and improve their moods. Here are some ways that you can use music to entertain and benefit a senior in your life:

Music Can Be Energizing:  You can play upbeat music for seniors when you wish to stimulate them and encourage them to move around and exercise. Familiar music that was popular when seniors were in their teens and twenties can change their mood and encourage them to take a renewed interest in their surroundings. Music can relieve boredom and promote social interaction. When seniors hear music, they are motivated to gather together to sing, dance, and visit with each other. Many board and care homes, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities, will regularly provide live musical entertainment for their seniors as a special event to entertain their tenants.

Music Can Be Soothing:  Music can also be calming and soothing for seniors. You can play classical music, ballads, soft jazz, country music, and even lullabies to calm seniors when they are tired, depressed, nervous, or lonely. You can also play soothing music during meals or whenever it is time to take a nap or retire for the night. Soothing music can give seniors a sense of security, lower their blood pressure, and help them to have happy thoughts.

Music Can Bring Back Memories:  You can play familiar musical tunes from a senior's past to remind them of good times in their life. While the music is playing, you can talk to them and show them personal photographs and memorabilia to help them recall their past memories. You can also show them pictures of historical events and celebrities to bring back memories of the era when the music was popular. When seniors hear the lyrics of familiar songs and ballads, they can often easily remember and sing along.

Music Is Medicine:  Music can be as effective as medication for seniors. Music can improve a senior's mood and feeling of well being, lessen their pain, and reduce stress. Music can be used to calm a senior instead of giving them prescription drugs. This substitution can help a senior from becoming immune to the effects of medications because of long-term use.

Kahlil Gibran said, "Music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life bringing peace, abolishing strife." If you live with a senior in a private home, you can play music for them several times a day. If you know a senior who lives in a nursing home or an assisted living facility, you can provide them with a personal CD or DVD player and a selection of familiar music to play whenever they want to relax or reminisce. By playing music for the senior in your life, you can give them a great deal of pleasure, improve their well being, and ultimately help them live longer.

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