Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting over 6 million Americans. While there is currently no cure, there are steps you can take to relieve symptoms and improve your loved one’s quality of life. Music provides a variety of physical, mental, social, and emotional benefits for those with age-related memory loss. Here’s how music can help your loved one with Alzheimer’s. 

The Benefits of Music for Alzheimer’s Disease

1. Brings Back Memories

Songs you used to listen to can bring back vivid memories, along with the emotions you felt at the time. This ignites a sense of nostalgia. When an elderly loved one with Alzheimer’s listens to a song from their past, it can help them recall memories of their parents, spouse, children, friends, or even specific events. The memories connected to music never go away, even with Alzheimer's disease.

2. Encourages Physical Activity

Daily activities and exercise may help ease agitation, anxiety, and restlessness and reduce the risk of wandering in individuals with Alzheimer’s. For seniors who aren’t normally active, music might get your loved one moving. Even clapping or swaying to the beat can help them stay engaged and active. Going dancing can be particularly beneficial for individuals in the early stages of the disease. It can help improve balance, strength, and endurance, reducing the risk of falls. 

3. Stimulates the Brain

Listening to music stimulates many parts of the brain at once, including areas involved in movement, language, mood, and memory. That means the brain responds to music in a variety of ways, from interpreting sounds in the right hemisphere of the temporal lobe to storing the physical memory of playing an instrument in the cerebellum. A song from childhood or an instrument they used to play can help keep your loved one’s mind active. Music may even encourage neurogenesis, the production of new neurons, which improves memory.

4. Reduces Stress and Improves Mood

Memory loss from Alzheimer’s disease can often leave seniors feeling confused, upset, suspicious, stressed, or angry. If your loved one seems agitated, their favorite music might provide a much-needed mood boost. Music can trigger the release of pleasurable hormones in the brain, including endorphins and dopamine, while lowering the production of the stress hormone cortisol. This could help enhance your loved one’s mood and reduce stress and anxiety.
 

If you are a caregiver for someone with Alzheimer’s disease, Memory Care Home Solutions can help you provide the memory support your loved one needs. Based in St. Louis and serving all of Eastern Missouri, this organization offers exceptional caregiver training, support, and resources to help individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia lead fulfilling and active lives. Their team of social workers and occupational therapists are highly trained and educated on the progression of age-related memory loss, so they will leave you properly equipped to manage your loved one's care. Call (314) 645-6247 or visit their website to learn more about their services.