Music is the universal language that transcends time, cultures, religion, race and gender. People of all ages, personalities and backgrounds can enjoy listening and/or singing various musical numbers or favorite tunes. In addition, learning to play an instrument also gives immense pleasure and can do even more.
Below are some common benefits of music therapy that seniors undergoing rehabilitation treatment can experience.
Music Brings People Together & Improves Social Skills
Some seniors have lost spouses and good friends due to death, distance or other barriers. Music can help lonely elders find their place in society again. When music is playing in the background, it can help improve a senior’s social skills and help them feel connected.
Music Has Been Shown to Decrease Stress & Anxiety
For centuries, humans have discovered the healing properties of music. Today, many medical doctors and various professional therapists use music to reduce overall stress and underlying anxiety.
It turns out that there is a physical connection involved according to recent research studies. The simple act of listening to a song and humming along actually relaxes your muscles in the face, neck and shoulders. This in turn triggers the body’s parasympathetic nervous system, which is a main body response to high stress levels.
This stress reduction method works by creating a tone in the throat that vibrates and encourages deeper relaxation. The technique is often used in meditation, various religious worship practices and in many forms of yoga.
Consider Adding Music to Your Routine to Decrease Stress & Manage Pain
Some recent studies on depression have shown that patients have a noticeable decrease in depression when music is added to other traditional depression measures like anti-depressant medications and talk therapy.
Music may also help manage pain. The same brain and body receptors that are triggered through exercise can be stimulated with music as well. Even better, upbeat music tends to encourage dancing and other active movements helping to release those feel-good endorphins.
Music Is an Effective Complementary Therapy in Rehabilitation Treatment
Today, many different kinds of therapists use music therapy for seniors undergoing rehabilitation treatment to complement other therapies and give each patient some surprising benefits. These benefits range from improving mood, encouraging movement, helping with balance and stimulating memories among many others.
Overall, it seems that senior therapy and rehabilitation goes right along with music therapy.