IPods are being used to help stroke and dementia patients with memory loss and helps relaxes them.
For decades, caregivers observed that Alzheimer's patients can still remember and sing songs long after they've stopped recognizing names and faces.
Nursing homes and hospitals use music to bring patients pleasure and to help recreate their memories.
Dr. Tomaino has studied therapeutic effects of music more than 30 years.
"If someone loved opera or classical music or jazz or religious music, or if they sang and danced when the family got together, we can recreate that music and help them relive those experiences," she says.
A few years ago, Tomaino did an unpublished study on 45 patients with mid- to late-stage dementia. The patients had one hour of personalized music therapy, three times a week, for 10 months, and improved their scores on a cognitivefunction test by 50% on average.
There was one patient who even managed to remember his wife after many months.
I've known of music helping some mentally challenged children before and the idea of the same process with Alzheimer is amazing. I wonder what it is about music that triggers the mind when words and faces fail.
I can't really begin to describe what this would be like.
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Interesting, I have never herd of this before. I wonder why it works the way it does. It's cool that something as easy as music can help such a big problem.
ReplyDeleteI never thought about it, but it only makes sense that it would be effective. it has been known for years that music helps people lear, because when a lesson is put to rhyming words and a catchy beat, it's easy to recall it later, the alphebet song for instance, not to mention the "School House Rock" series.
ReplyDeleteWe all learned the alphebet when we were very young, but I am sure I'm not the only one that sings it in my head if I have to alphebetize something.
Alzheimer's patients frequently remember events and people from their youth, so it is logical that this could be a very effective tool to give them some function and memories back.
This is really interesting! i think its awesome that iPods are able to be used in such a life changing way. Music is definitely something of importance in this world. I don't think people realize how truly wonderful music can be. As a child I learned the alphabet, mulitplication tables, and the states and capitals all via musical song. Music has made learning at times a whole lot easier. It's no wonder music has been so effective for these patients.
ReplyDeleteWow, that is awesome that music can have that big of an affect on people. It really touches my heart knowing that music can help people. I love listening to music. Whenever I am listening to my favorite bands or at a concert I love, it puts me in a great mood. I can see how music can help people.
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