Where Words Fail Music Speaks: How Music Helps People With Cognitive Disorders

Who doesn’t know someone - or a lot of people - who informally use music for therapy? A friend of mine has a plaque on his kitchen wall near where his daughter who has severe disabilities often sits to use her switch activated devices and toys. The plaque is homey and simple but the words are powerful. It reads: Where Words Fail Music Speaks. My friend discovered years ago that playing his guitar for his daughter could connect them on a very basic level as well as bring both of them joy. On a similar instinctive level, I kept my dad who suffered from a failed brain surgery that plunged him into dementia, well supplied with CDs from the Big Band era. This music represented the time of his life when he was, perhaps, the most care free. Very little could get Dad smiling quite like a Buddy Rich CD. Read the full article on HealthCentral about how music can help Alzheimer's:   Related articles Eldercare Lessons from the Land of the Incas: Part 1 (Minding Our Elders®) Walk to End Alzheimer's in Western Massachusetts Alzheimer's: Most important risk factors seem to be linked to diet "                Related StoriesLong-term Caregiving Will ChangeYour LifeCaregiver Needs Medical Care before Health Is Irreparably ShatteredHave You Secretly Wish An Aging, Struggling Parent Could Die? 
Source: Minding Our Elders - Category: Geriatrics Authors: Source Type: blogs