I recently read a writeup on the Wall Street Journal website related to the use of music therapy in dementia patients. The writing indicated that one of the criticisms of iPods 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 monitoring of stroke and dementia sufferers are showing that iPods and other MP3 devices often have the opposite end results.

By listening to some old familiar tunes, advanced Alzheimer's patients can reconnect with their memories and with one another in some astonishing ways, especially for those with degenerative brain diseases. For example, as reported in the Journal, listening to rap and reggae on a borrowed iPod every day prompted a 28-year-old stroke sufferer to learn to walk and utilize his hands again.

In another occurrence, 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 beloved opera and Yiddish songs every 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 a half-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 useful. They have observed for decades that Alzheimer's sufferers can remember and sing songs 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 important evidence that listening to music can also help stimulate apparently lost memories, and even help revive cognitive function in some cases. (via IPod Therapy for Alzheimer's Patients, WSJ.com)

As a old-timer 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 difficult for seniors. However, as research as shown, using complicated devices can be quite effectual in slowing memory loss due to aging. Now we realize that the musical functionality can be helpful even for those who have already suffered memory loss.

Well, okay, you might decline 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 imaginative and attentive in applying its use. IPod music therapy in dementia patients is a great illustration.

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