Do you love music so much? Do you like playing an instrument? Do you have a grandparent who is experiencing Alzheimer’s disease? Well, if you have, then one of the most beautiful ways to slightly restore their memory for a short time is through the use of music. With a press of a play button, some fractals of memory can be recovered.
Well, we do know that music can change the mood of a person in just a split of seconds, give motivation and also kill motivation. Well technically music also can help a person regain some of the memories they loss along the way. There is a higher chance that some certain music can recover a specific memory, might be a loss, an event, or the happiest moment of a person’s life.
Research shows that people with Alzheimer’s still got their memory for music. The disease cannot affect this part of the persons memory, in fact this memory are the ones that can be used to communicate with them if they already forgotten most of the people around them. Although other cases with people with dementia has a higher chance of music memory recovery, with people having Alzheimer the probability of retaining their music memory is higher even on their middle stages of Alzheimer’s.
These memories that last makes the doctors around the world understand how important these factors are in communicating, understanding, interacting, and treating them. Research also shows that music is an effective way to give this people a meaningful activity, and help them reduce their challenging behaviors, and decreasing the feeling of anxiety into them.
Music therapy used in the early stage of Alzheimer encourages this people to engage in this kind of activity. A great supply of music that can enhance their music memory can help them remember the things that they feel accomplished, or the things that they feel good about themselves. Some people tend to use playlist, putting the songs people with Alzheimer listen to back in their younger years.
When it comes to the people who are experiencing the middle stages of Alzheimer’s disease, a great gear supply of musical instruments can be put in good use. Some of the people on this stage of the disease can still remember how to play the piano very well. Some can also play other instruments just like guitars and other instruments. Music can also help medical professionals who care for people with Alzheimer handle their challenging behavior. Some tend to sing while helping a patient, this action can put their patient at ease and will calm down, leading to a much easier exercise or even a peaceful sleep.
Research shows that people who uses music as their therapy for Alzheimer’s tends to have a much more beautiful sleeping pattern. This shows how music therapy can be beneficial to people who are experiencing this type of diseases. The test conducted to people with Alzheimer’s show the increase of melatonin level to their system. This increase helps them to achieve a regulated sleep cycle. This increase is still improving even after a week of musical therapy. Therapist also observed that the people who was been exposed to this kind of therapy tend to show an improvement to their ability in learning the songs, its lyrics, and even a much greater social interaction. This people also experience a more relax mood.
For the people in their late stage of Alzheimer’s, music still plays a huge part. Music is used to connect to their loved ones and expects them to give a response. People with Alzheimer’s on this stage tend to have a chance to enjoy listening to music their loved ones recorded for them back on their early stages of dementia. Some familiar music can help this people to calm down. Some worst cases of Alzheimer’s showed that when their favorite music plays, they started to utter the words and will relax while the music is still playing.
See, music can be a bridge to a gap of time, a memory enhancer, a mood booster, and for the people who are experiencing Alzheimer’s, a window to the pass. A short spurt of memory if we will think about it very well, but for them it is the most beautiful time in their life.