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Miami’s Innovative Music Therapy Helping Alzheimer’s & Dementia Patients
Posted by Scott Cantin in Dementia | 0 comments
Six Benefits of Music Therapy for Miami Seniors
Music is more than something that can get your blood pumping at the club or a means to entertain you as you’re cruising down the highway. When used properly, music can also be a form of therapy that can benefit people of all ages, including senior citizens.
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What is Music Therapy?
If you’ve never thought of music in a therapeutic sense, it may be difficult for you to think of it as a kind of therapy. Knowing what music therapy is can give you a clearer picture of its therapeutic applications, however. According to the American Music Therapy Association, music therapy is, “an established health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive and social needs of individuals.”
How Music Therapy Can Help
When music therapy is part of senior care in Miami and other locations, it can provide some meaningful benefits to people who participate in it. Even people who aren’t particularly fond of music can benefit from this type of therapy!
Cognitive Skills
Many people associate music with events from their past, which means music can bring memories from years ago to the front of a person’s mind. Even when a dementia patient can’t communicate anymore, music has been proven to be an effective treatment for evoking positive responses and increasing engagement.
Speech
As it progresses, music therapy can help older participants improve their speech and enhance their ability to respond to inquiries and make decisions. Music therapy can slow the deterioration of language skills in people who have dementia and it can help individuals suffering from Alzheimer’s disease to recognize and/or hum their favorite tunes even after they lose their speech abilities.
Motor Skills
Music and dancing go hand in hand, which means music therapy can get senior participants up, moving around and socializing. Even if patients lack the mobility to dance, they can still tap to the beat of the music or clap their hands.
Socialization Opportunities
Music therapy involves plenty of chances for seniors to interact with their therapists and other patients. The socialization opportunities that are inherently available in music therapy sessions can help seniors ward off feelings of being isolated, lonely or depressed, which can improve their physical health and sense of mental well-being.
Stress Management
People suffering from dementia don’t always handle changes to their daily routines well. Music therapy can help patients adjust to changes in a calm, non-aggressive manner.
Grief Management
Music therapists can help terminal patients transition to the afterlife in a more relaxed state by playing songs that reduce their physical pain and emotional distress. They can also help a patient’s family members manage their grief with the help of music by making a legacy gift of a CD that includes their dying loved one’s favorite songs or by composing a song that celebrates the patient’s life.
Elderly Companion Care by Advancare
Music therapy is often part of the elderly companion care we provide for seniors living throughout Miami-Dade County. If therapy sessions are held outside of the home, our team can transport you or your loved one to the appropriate medical facility whenever a music therapy session is scheduled.
Call (305) 441-9794 the proven source for compassionate senior care in Miami, FL and surrounding areas.
