Music may be good for the soul, but research suggests it’s also good for the mind.
A growing body of evidence suggests listening to music can provide emotional and behavioral benefits for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia, stimulate dormant memories, and even help them retain new information.
“Surprisingly, there are numerous beneficial effects of music exposure in an individual with cognitive dysfunction,” says Dr. Vinod Krishnan, a neurologist with St. Elizabeth Physicians. Just as a familiar scent can trigger a memory, sounds, rhythms and melodies can increase recollection of past events even for individuals with profound memory loss. “Memories specifically associated with sounds or melodies seem to have a higher barrier of defense compared to declarative (data-based) memories in neurodegenerative dementia.”
Music is more than entertaining. It also engages areas of the brain involved with paying attention, making predictions, and updating events in memory. A study conducted by Boston University researchers found that people with Alzheimer’s learned more lyrics when they were set to music than when they were merely spoken.
In aphasic patients – those with language deficits – words associated with melodies involve areas of the brain outside the concrete language regions, Krishnan explains. A patient who cannot speak might be able to sing: a phenomenon some programs are exploiting to help patients who have suffered a dominant hemispheric stroke regain language function.
Music is also soothing. Some patients with dementia are more prone to agitation, anxiety, and depression, Krishnan says, and “Music can exert a unique calming effect in these individuals facilitating an improvement in their (and their caregivers’) quality of lives.
When using music to help a person with dementia, consider these five tips from the Mayo Clinic and the Alzheimer’s Association:
Consider his or her musical preferences. What music is likely to evoke happy memories? Note the songs that he or she seems to enjoy or dislike and adjust your playlists accordingly.
Create a mood. Playing soothing music can take the edge off difficult moments. Playing animated, happy songs in the morning can help boost your loved one’s mood and get the day started. Think ahead and make playlists for different kinds of moods.
Avoid overstimulation. If you’re playing music, try to eliminate other noises. Turn off the TV or shut the door to reduce hallway chatter and set the volume comfortably.
Encourage movement. Help your loved one to clap along or tap his or her feet to the beat. If possible, consider dancing with your loved one.
Sing along. Some early studies also suggest musical memory functions differently than other types of memory, and singing can help stimulate unique memories.
“The brain likes to be stimulated. Engaging in regular mental, physical, and social activity is known to provide a counter-force to the process of cognitive decline. Music has the potential to engage an individual in all of these domains (e.g. dancing, singing in a group),” says Krishnan. “In this age of increasing pill consumption and invasive interventions, it is helpful to know that there are still low-tech but effective strategies to combat cognitive decline.”
