This article discusses how singing is beneficial in early stages of dementia. If you know someone in their early stages of Dementia, you could ask them to try singing and here’s why.

Dementia covers a lot of different types of brain maladies including Alzheimer’s and Vascular Dementia, the two most common culprits. These are usually more common in the elderly. Nursing homes find that group singing helps with cognitive therapy. Technically it’s called Cognitive Stimulation Therapy or CST.

CST is a new and growing branch of mental therapy. A patient might forget everything important in his life but remember all the words of a song learnt in his youthful 20’s. Receiving praise for remembering how to sing the song gives him some degree of confidence that had been lost in Dementia. Alzheimer’s residents of nursing homes will participate in group singing when nothing else holds interest for them at all.

Singing and therapy

CST can be used in home therapy by psychologists and occupational therapists. Singing can be a very important part of a CST program. Other forms of CST can be trivia word quizzes or crossword puzzles. Even bingo can be used as CST. The bingo caller makes sure everyone gets a chance to win even if they need the occasional assistance to win. They also play a game called jingo which is like bingo combined with trivia. Any activity that gets a patient to think could be considered Cognitive Stimulation Therapy.

The old songs that patients liked in their teenage years stimulate the senses and bring back memories from a happy time in their lives. The patient can almost always sing songs from their teens or their 20’s. It takes YouTube research to go back that far, sometimes the 1930’s and 1940’s hold the memories, and sometimes it’s the 1950’s and 1960’s. When dealing with CST, remember that everyone is different and each person has his own trigger to get his brain active. It’s a wonderful thing to see the light come on even if it only glows for ten minutes.

Most people are more comfortable being treated at home for illnesses, and it is good to keep the elderly in an environment they are familiar with for as long as possible. There will be plenty of time for them to go to nursing homes in later life.

All Heart Home Care of San Diego will help you

All Heart Home Care is the complete solution for home care with the elderly. We believe in complete memory engagement of all our clients.

Memory engagement is a very important aspect of the healing process and can be achieved during the initial stages of dementia. A song from the patient’s youth, a remembered hymn from church or a poem can all trigger memory and be used for cognitive stimulation therapy.

Memory engages after attention is achieved. Attention only comes with the patient’s realization of self. That self comes from the memory of a former time. Memory engagement brings awareness. Group CST necessitates 14 or more sessions of augmented activity, running twice weekly for a couple of months.

There is no set in stone rule for CST but there is an intuitive recognition of triggers, observed by psychologists and our home health care workers that guide them through the treatment.
Date and day orientation is always an attention getter. We start with a 15 minutes exposure in the sun to get some vital Vitamin D that helps cognitive function. Our memory care engagement recommended activities include: watching the local news, reading newspapers and books, clipping coupons, reviewing family photos, playing and listening to music, watching sports, assembling puzzles, playing games and cards can all help during the early stages of dementia.

Get proper assistance with All Heart Home Care

Companionship and socialization are extremely important activities for seniors with early stages of dementia. All Heart Home Care’s Caregivers can assist you with this. We can also help with a vast assortment of activities of daily living which includes:  memory engagement, light housekeeping, personal care needs, laundry, errands, doctor appointments, and meal preparation.

When hiring an agency for your loved one, make sure they are licensed by the state of California. This will ensure your family is protected with Caregiver background checks, liability, and workers’ compensation insurance as well as bonding.

We hope you enjoyed this article on how singing is beneficial in early stages of dementia.  If you have any questions about the article or would like to discuss our home care services, contact All Heart Home Care at 619-736-4677.  We offer free in-home consultations and we would love to explain the many benefits of using our home care services.