Contented Dementia

Working in a dwelling house recently a carer of consciousness sought to boost the morale of the people while she was clearing the dining table. From a happy and natural with a beautiful singing voice, she thought back to some music, she remembered her mother singing around the house and began a familiar Singalong "type songs.

The residents, all aged over seventy, and with different forms of dementia, smiled and listened. In a very short period of time one or two were seen silently mouth the words. A brave began to join in, the fingers were considered by tapping on the chair arms and legs have started moving in rhythm. Soon the sound of singing began to penetrate beyond the dining room and was quickly spotted by other staff members who, after their surprise, joined in the chorus, much to the obvious delight of their loads.

Later in the evening while preparing a resident of the same bed was helping one of the humming tunes she had sung before. The customer, an elderly man, has been generally cooperative, but never spoke, what little communication that took place was normally by minimal use of signs or nods when asked a question - and nothing else.

Echoing the sound of the song now familiar, the usual air of disinterest has been gradually transformed into a grateful smile and a glimmer of interest in the otherwise dark eyes. The nursing staff responded by singing the real words - "........ who, who, who's your friend? "A mischievous smile appeared almost the resident and wagged his finger to his false accusation - just as it had done for him earlier in the evening. The nurses laughed with him and told jokes, "I bet you have stories to tell!".

This was a very simple to do in bed (and sleep) in what seemed to be a very happy mood. It has not reached the point of "telling tales all" again, but when it gets a little restless or difficult to persuade a song wonders.

Although residents had many opportunities to listen to the radio or CDs in their rooms or wards, when combined with direct communication, ie the person who actually singing to individual and making it personal and, above all, interactive, this is when it can be seen that music can be very beneficial for the health and well-being.

The same principle applies in a situation of home care. It is so easy to just turn on the radio or television in the hope that it will act as a distraction and leave the unfortunate person unattended for centuries with just something to listen to. Whenever possible the interaction and encouragement to join leads to a response, even to the extent of a smile, and how we have added some quality of life.

When caring for people with dementia, it also pays to be aware of the reaction of people to different types of music or even individual pieces. Although in most cases, the effects are beneficial, some adverse reactions may occur, for example when a bad experience or memory is triggered and causes of unrest. Another reason of course to ensure that a) a conscious effort is made to provide the type "right" music, and b) there is an interactive element, or at least a communication in progress to evaluate the response .

Is it possible that you can implement appropriate music to "lift the spirit" or improve the quality of life of your dependents?