How Can Music Benefit Seniors In Assisted Living?
Introduction
Seniors in assisted living can benefit in many ways from playing music. One of the most common ways is the reduction of memory loss, which also includes music therapy.
One of the best ways to improve seniors’ quality of life is through music. Seniors who have dementia have much higher cognitive function when they are able to listen to music. Research has found that older adults in assisted living facilities are much more active and less depressed when there is music playing in the background. For many seniors, listening to music helps them sleep better at night.
What Causes Music Beneficial For Aging?
Music can be beneficial for aging because it can reduce stress levels, which helps combat illness and disease progression, provide an opportunity for socialization among residents, promote physical activity due to dance or simply rhythmic movements while listening to the tempo-based music, and help with sleep.
What Research Is There On The Effects Of Music On Senior’s Health?
Music is a known method of reducing stress and is thought to be helpful in Alzheimer’s disease. The concept that music can combat stress and help improve the immune system was researched in a trial where college students were randomly assigned to listen to an active or control group. The results found that those who were listening to active music showed significantly lower levels of anxiety and were two times more likely to suffer from depression than their counterparts.
The research also showed that when people age, they tend to fall into one of three categories: positive, negative or neutral moods. Elderly people are typically seen as more polite.
The trial also targeted those who are not suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s. It showed that elderly people who were exposed to music were more social, which promoted a sense of belonging and well-being. Also, their mood was better than those who did not listen to music.
Does Music Improve Quality Of Life In Assisted Living?
Music has been found to improve quality of life in assisted living by improving physical activity, increasing socialization between residents and their caretakers, promoting independent living, reducing stress levels and depression, helping patients with memory loss do better in the therapy group and lessening the need for medication for seniors who suffer from pain.
What Is Music Therapy?
Music therapy is a type of counseling where the therapist incorporates music into their plan to help with the patient’s illnesses. During the session, patients are encouraged to join in song, listen to music and even play instruments. Music therapy has been found to be beneficial for those suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. The discovery of how music can positively affect seniors with dementia was made at the University of California San Francisco.
Music therapy is defined as a form of psychotherapy that uses music to improve health. It does this by stimulating your neurological system to promote healing on many levels. This may include healing emotional, cognitive, social and physical issues while also improving self-esteem and quality of life.
Musical stimuli are used for direct therapeutic effect or indirect therapeutic effect where they are not specifically targeted but have an overall positive effect on the patient’s mood or state of mind during their session with a therapist. The types of musical therapy may include relaxation music, music for stress reduction, music for pain control and sleep induction.
Music has been shown to start a process that encourages the brain to produce certain chemicals that help make memory easier to develop. Studies have shown children who listen to complex and interesting music show much higher scores on memory tests than children who are not listening to any kind of music.
Music will cause the body to produce endorphins which are chemicals that are released into the bloodstream during stressful events. Endorphins also enhance communication between brain cells, making them work more efficiently.
Do Seniors Benefit From Listening to Music?
It has been found that the elderly who listen and pay attention to music report less depression and anxiety than those who do not listen to music. The effect of listening to music on cognitive function also varies between people. Some people can concentrate better while others feel more relaxed.
Music is a great motivator for seniors and it can also help them stay active. Music is classified into three different styles of classification to appeal to different types of people: classical, soft rock, and light classical. The three different categories have been found to have three different effects on people, depending on their preferences. Classical music has been found to be most effective with memory loss while soft rock attracts individuals who are more social and light classical attracts those who are introverted and intellectual, who like self-expression.
What Kinds Of Research Has Been Done On Benefits To Seniors?
Music benefits seniors by promoting socialization, making them less lonely and isolated. Socialization has been found to make the elderly happier and less lonely. Music can be beneficial for those with Alzheimer’s or dementia by stimulating memory and prompting them to remember things from the past. Music can also be beneficial for those with dementia by prompting them to have conversations with other people while they are listening to music.
Music has been proven to stimulate the brain in elderly patients after an hour of listening, their cognitive abilities such as immediate memory, visual-spatial ability and attention span are enhanced. After only 30 minutes of listening, their accuracy in spelling is also improved.
Conclusion
Music has proven to be beneficial for the elderly. It helps improve their quality of life by improving their self-esteem, promoting better mental health and even helping them with memory loss.
Music is a great way to keep seniors active and involved in their communities, but it can also be a great way to promote physical fitness, remain socially active and stay mentally sharp as well. Research shows that those who have moderate amounts of music in the workplace are able to remain more productive than those who don’t listen to music at all. This doesn’t just apply to working out at the gym; it applies to everything from getting dressed in the morning to working on a work project after work as well.