Ask Mr. Fix it

I recently looked over a bulletin on the Wall Street Journal website concerning the use of music therapy in dementia patients. The post indicated that one of the criticisms of music playback devices is that those who use them are likely to stay away from relationships with other folks and stay in an isolated world of their own. However, recent monitoring of stroke and Alzheimer's sufferers are showing that iPods and other MP3 devices often have the contrary consequence.

By listening to some old well known songs, advanced Alzheimer's patients can relink with their memories and with one another in some astonishing ways, especially for those with degenerative brain diseases. To cite an example, as stated in the Journal, listening to rap and reggae on a borrowed iPod each day helped a 28-year-old stroke sufferer to resume walking and utilize his hands again.

In another occurrence, a 52 year-old man who fell from a fourth-floor construction site and suffered a crushed larynx became so captivated with music that he wrote 400 songs and produced four albums. An 85-year-old Alzheimer's patient in Florida listens to her beloved opera and Yiddish songs each day on an iPod with a home health aide or her daughter when she drops in. According to her daughter they listen for somewhere around a half-hour a day and "It seems to touch something deep within her."

Caregivers have known for many years that music therapy in dementia patients can be very effectual. They have observed for decades that dementia patients can remember and sing tunes for an extended time after they have stopped recalling names and faces. Hospitals and aging care facilities have been using music as recreation for a long time, because it brings patients pleasure. Furthermore, beyond the amusement value, there is important evidence that listening to music can also help improve apparently lost memories, and even help rehabilitate cognitive function in some cases. (via IPod Therapy for Alzheimer's Patients, WSJ.com)

As a old-timer myself I am a big supporter of iPods and similar devices for senior citizens. I myself have an iPhone, which is pretty much an iPod with a phone built into it. I am conscious that many of you will be cynical because you think such devices are too confusing for seniors. However, as research as shown, using complicated devices can be quite efficacious in slowing memory loss due to aging. Now we realize that the musical functionality can be helpful even for those who have already suffered cognitive decline.

Well, okay, you may not want to actually leave an iPod in the hands of a person who is experiencing cognitive decline, but such a device can certainly be used, under supervision, to provide the kinds of music therapy in dementia patients set out in this article. Technology can be great for those who are willing to be imaginative and discerning in applying its use. IPod music therapy in dementia patients is a great illustration.

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