I recently read a story on the Wall Street Journal website related to the use of music therapy in dementia patients. The writing stated that one of the criticisms of music playback devices is that those who use them are likely to evade relationships with other people and remain in an insulated universe of their own. However, recent observations of stroke and Alzheimer's sufferers are showing that iPods and other MP3 devices frequently have the opposite end results.

By listening to some old familiar music, advanced dementia patients can relink with their memories and with one another in some unexpected ways, especially for people with degenerative brain diseases. For example, as stated by the Journal, listening to rap and reggae on a borrowed iPod every day prompted a 28-year-old stroke victim to resume walking and utilize his hands again.

In another incident, a 52 year-old man who fell from a fourth-floor construction site and suffered a crushed larynx became so fascinated with music that he composed 400 songs and made four albums. An 85-year-old dementia patient in Florida listens to her favorite 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 about half an 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 highly efficacious. They have observed for decades that Alzheimer's sufferers can still 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, since it causes patients pleasure. Moreover, beyond the delight value, there is significant 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 golden-ager myself I am a big supporter of iPods and similar devices for senior citizens. I myself have an iPhone, which is basically an iPod with a telephone built into it. I am aware that many of you will be dubious because you think such devices are too complex for seniors. However, as research as shown, using complicated devices can be quite efficacious in slowing memory loss due to aging. Now we have determined that the musical functionality can be helpful even for those who have already suffered memory loss.

Well, okay, you might decide not to actually leave an iPod in the hands of a person who is experiencing dementia, 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 very helpful for those who are willing to be creative and discerning in applying its use. IPod music therapy in dementia patients is a great illustration.

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