The Joy of Music!

One weekend as I was sitting at a music program with my Grandmother, I found myself looking around at all the other older adults in the room.  At first, I began looking around the room because the music they were singing was, let's just say, less than extraordinary.  Not really my cup of tea.  But while looking around at their faces, I saw nothing but happiness.  I began to think to myself, music is one of the common joys that all people love at any age.  It evokes feelings of joy, excitement, sadness, loss, fun and movement.  As well as producing memories of the past, relieving stress and maybe even enticing motivation.

As we age and our bodies begin to slow down, there will still be that song that comes on and it will immediately bring back those feelings.   You want to sing along.  You start tapping your foot.  You start clapping your hands.  It makes you feel young again.  What else can make you feel that way?

As a caregiver, music can be used in numerous ways to improve the quality of life for yourself as well as your loved one.  When my stress level feels high and I just need some time formyself, I find that listening to music that I like to sing to and then turning it up loud lets me sing at the top of my lungs and releases some of that pressure.  Music can be used to bring back wonderful memories that you and your loved one share.  Even when suffering from dementia at any stage of the disease, I have seen first hand those memories come back even if for only fleeting moments.  Those fleeting moments when a loved one with dementia is able to be with you in a moment become very precious.   Music can also bring laughter and fun into a room.  If you are having a difficult day providing care for your loved one, turn on some music and start humming along - just watch to see if the mood in the room doesn't change.

I get asked about music programs a lot when I give tours of the Adult Day Center that I work in.  Do we have music programs?  How often do they occur?  What types of music do we provide? The importance of music all throughout our lives is obvious.  No matter what genre of music makes you get that feelin, make sure you get your daily dose of music in your life.
Music keeps you feet tapping while Aging with Ease!