Mar 01 2009
Improve a person with dementia
We have been discussing ways to calm a person with dementia.
Here is something that will keep a person with dementia calm and may actually improve his memory.
Recent studies have shown that people with dementia who listen to music have a slower rate of decline than those who do not. There could be several reasons for this.
Listening to and singing familiar songs taps into long term memory. It also taps into the autonomic area of the brain.
Experts believe that when a person hears a song that is quite familiar to him, his response of singing is almost automatic.
Of course the trick is to know which songs will elicit this response.
Again knowing the background of a person with dementia is most helpful. The other way is to use trial and error to see which songs get a person with dementia to respond.
Here is a set of CDs by Mitch Miller. 
Many folks with dementia will find some or all of these songs stimulating.
Please leave a comment if you would lke a list of the songs on the CDs
More later
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