Contents:
- Medical Video: Sundance Film Festival (2014) - Alive Inside: A Story Of Music & Memory Featurette - Documentary HD
- Understanding dementia and Alzheimer's
- Music therapy is able to maintain brain health
- Benefits of music therapy for Alzheimer's patients
- 1. Able to present various memories
- 2. Increasing intimacy with family members and friends
- 3. Manage stress, improve mood, and prevent depression
- 4. Increase brain activity
Medical Video: Sundance Film Festival (2014) - Alive Inside: A Story Of Music & Memory Featurette - Documentary HD
Who, who doesn't like listening to songs and joins singing favorite songs wholeheartedly? There has been a lot of research in the past that proves that singing can provide health and emotional benefits to humans. However, recent research has found that dementia and Alzheimer's patients can reap greater benefits from music. Learn about the various benefits of music therapy for the following Alzheimer's patients, let's go!
Understanding dementia and Alzheimer's
Dementia is a series of symptoms that indicate a decrease in brain function. For example, being senile, difficult to make decisions, and difficult to communicate. In many cases, dementia is a symptom of a more serious disease, namely Alzheimer's.
Both dementia and Alzheimer's both attack the brain. Because until now there are no drugs or vaccines that can deal with these two conditions, the treatment offered is more focused on improving patients' quality of life and controlling their symptoms.
Music therapy is able to maintain brain health
One way to improve the quality of life of patients is to undergo music therapy. Music therapy for Alzheimer's patients is very useful for maintaining brain health, which means it can delay further damage. According to research in the journal Psychology of Music, your voice or the song you listen to in music therapy doesn't even need a class of seasoned singers. Any song and whatever your type of sound, the results are still good for brain health.
Research in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease says that people who have just been diagnosed can benefit from singing regularly. While for Alzheimer's patients at a later stage, the ability to speak and concentrate may be weakened. However, they are still able to undergo music therapy, namely by regularly listening to music.
Benefits of music therapy for Alzheimer's patients
Summarized from a number of studies by expert teams, here are four main benefits of undergoing music therapy for Alzheimer's or dementia patients.
1. Able to present various memories
Songs can trigger certain emotions. While emotions are one of the best ways to evoke memories that have long been forgotten. This is certainly good for Alzheimer's patients who have difficulty remembering important events in their lives. Starting from graduation, commemoration of the anniversary of marriage, or the birth of grandchildren.
2. Increasing intimacy with family members and friends
Music therapy should be done in groups or at least along with other family members. Singing two or three songs together is enough, really. Through music, Alzheimer's patients can feel closer to family members because singing is the only chance to share moments and emotions. This is because advanced Alzheimer's patients usually lose the ability to feel certain emotions with those around them.
3. Manage stress, improve mood, and prevent depression
When singing or listening to songs, the waves received by the brain are captured as signals to produce endorphins and oxytocin. Both of these hormones are responsible for making someone feel happier and more calm. So, music therapy can manage Alzheimer's symptoms, namely disorders mood and prevent stress and depression that often become complications of Alzheimer's.
4. Increase brain activity
Singing can stimulate left brain activity. While listening to songs can stimulate the right brain activity. The more active your brain is, various cells, nerves, and neurons are increasingly encouraged to work according to their functions. That way, you can delay further brain damage through music therapy.
