Music Therapy: Singing Your Way To Better Senior Health

Music is an amazing tool, uniting cultures around the world and touching us on many emotional levels. It can help us relax, stimulate us, inspire us, and even lift our moods. Music often evokes memories and can calm the heart to help us sleep. Let’s take a look at how music can serve as a powerful form of medicine.

Music Helps Patients

Driving down the road and hearing a familiar song can trigger a flood of memories because humans naturally associate music with events, people, and places. For individuals with dementia, music can serve as a gateway to those memories.

There are various theories as to why music heals. According to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, the brain doesn’t need to use much energy to respond to rhythms, especially music we already know. Familiar tunes take less brain power, which can be particularly impactful for people with dementia or mental disorders.

Music can also help calm the heart—a “revulsive effect” in medical terms—and is thought to help manage pain. One study published in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine suggests that music can cause the body to release beta-endorphins, which are natural, opiate-like painkillers.

Music Helps Achieve Positive Change

Music can help people shift moods. When seniors need calming, slower-paced music can help ease them into relaxation—particularly if the music is familiar. As an example, Trisha Yearwood’s song “The Song Remembers When” not only illustrates how music connects with our memories, but also soothes listeners.

On the other hand, more upbeat music can help caregivers encourage residents to be active. Songs like The Andrews Sisters’ “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” can help energize seniors, aiding in their efforts to remain physically and mentally engaged. For pain relief, healthcare professionals often favor classical tunes with slow, steady rhythms.

Positive Reaction To Music

We relate to music because our bodies have their own natural rhythms—our heartbeat acts like a metronome. It’s nearly impossible to feel anxious when our heart is beating slowly. By helping to regulate our pulse rate, music can play a role in controlling health issues tied to anxiety, depression, and even pain levels.

Drug-Free Therapy

While musical therapies may not work for everyone, they do offer notable, non-pharmaceutical benefits. Seniors with end-stage dementia can often reconnect through music in ways they cannot through other forms of communication. Whether it’s relieving anxiety during a dental visit or sparking conversation at mealtime, music is a versatile tool for enhancing seniors’ quality of life.

At Sunshine Retirement Living, we see the positive effects of music every day. Contact us today for more information about how our senior living communities can help your loved one thrive.