December 17, 2018
Music for the Soul & Mind
Living Your Best Life
It’s astounding what music does to us. It can lift our spirits, calm our nerves, get everyone singing, a crowd dancing, and it can evoke vivid memories. Research on the effects of music on those with Alzheimer’s and dementia are astonishing. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Research suggests that listening to or singing music can provide emotional and behavioral benefits for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. Musical memories are often preserved in Alzheimer’s disease because key brain areas linked to musical memory are relatively undamaged by the disease.”
It’s not just those with disease. Anyone at any age can benefit from music’s ability to relieve stress and reduce anxiety and depression. It’s no wonder that music is the background to shopping, dining, even sitting in a doctor’s office.
For seniors and those recovering from illness or surgery, the curative powers of music are profound. Time moves much faster when walking, biking, or exercising to music. The body tends to move faster, too. It can reduce agitation and any feelings of loneliness. A caregiver can share your love of music and set it up in your home. We’ve seen everything from phonographs with albums to CDs to smartphones connected to speakers. Right now a lot of our clients are loving Amazon’s Alexa and Spot devices for streaming all kinds of music. Clients are also enjoying streaming on Pandora and curating music on Spotify. Our specialized nurses are extremely helpful in setting up technology.
Music doesn’t have to be in the background or a solitary endeavor. Concerts are a social elixir. Our caregivers have helped clients attend concerts all across Boston, New York City, Cape Cod, Nantucket, Fairfield and Westchester Counties. Favorite venues range from the classics like Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in Manhattan to Symphony Hall in Boston to Tanglewood. But some get just as much enjoyment locally—at Westport’s Levitt Pavilion, The Tarry Town Music Hall, the Jewell Arts Center at Wellesley College, even the new Greenwich High School Performing Arts Center. Yes, it’s wonderful to listen and watch world-class performers and rising stars. But many will say the best ticket in town is watching a child, grandchild, niece or nephew perform. They wouldn’t miss it for the world. And when you have someone to help with transportation and navigating unfamiliar terrain, you never have to.
Even Confucius knew the power of music; “Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.” Let music fill your imagination, your home, and your soul.