Using Relaxing Therapy Music as an Aid for Dementia

 Trinity Homecare has put together information about how music can be used as a kind of therapy for people living with dementia. 

Music is around us all from a very early age, whether that be nursery rhymes or music our parents are dancing round the kitchen to. While music we listened to from an early age may not always shape our own music taste, music is deeply intertwined with memories. Music has a funny way of taking us back to an exact point in time, the sights, the sounds, the feelings. 

”In a healthy brain, music is a very, very way of reanimating memories. But it is not clear in dementia when you have a damaged system, whether it would bring back reminiscence and familiarity of the experience, or whether it would actually bring back the details” – Professor Jason Warren at University of College London. 

In whatever way music brings back memories, it is now recognised as a form of therapy to help those living with dementia gain access to memories that their family believed had been lost forever. Music accesses many different parts of the brain, so while someone living with dementia may not understand words very well, music could unlock a person’s mind in a totally different way. As well as potentially helping to trigger memories and be a way to have a quality interaction with a loved one, music has many other benefits for those with dementia:

• Classical music or a slow and soft type of ambient music can be used as background music to reduce stress. This kind of music therapy is a great relaxation technique for those who are living with dementia. 
• On the other hand, faster and more upbeat music can be used to encourage those with dementia to get moving. Keeping those with dementia active and having a productive day can be one of the biggest struggles, so using music to motivate them to move is a great technique. 
• Having a good ol’ sing-a-long is a great way to boost everyone’s spirits. Again encouraging them to get up and sing, dance and have fun with others. 

While there are many benefits to using music as a kind of therapy for those with dementia, there are some ways to avoid overwhelming people and receiving an adverse response. Trinity Homecare recommends starting the music quietly and slowly increase the volume, but never too loud as this can be overwhelming. It’s important to play the right music for how they’re feeling. Different genres also work well for different situations, so various songs can be used throughout the day to offer valuable support. Don’t be trying to play upbeat music if they’re confused or distressed, try playing some softer classical music to relax and calm them. Finally, emotions are not controllable … even with music! It’s important to therefore be prepared to not always get a happy response. Music can bring up some pretty powerful emotions, and they aren’t always positive. It may also make them feel sad, angry or confused and overwhelmed. 

There is obviously no ‘Top 40’ of songs that you can use as dementia therapy. It’s completely unique to the individual, each person has different music tastes and different memories associated with songs. However here is some songs Trinity Homecare have put together: 

• Queen’s classic song, We Will Rock you and Bohemian Rhapsody
• Bon Jovi, Livin’ on a Prayer
• Abba, Dancing Queen or Mamma Mia
• Pink Floyd, Another Brink in The Wall
• Frank Sinatra, I Did It My Way, New York New York
• B52’s, Love Shack
• Lady Gaga, Born This Way
• Adel, Rolling in the Deep, Hello