Even though this is supposed to be “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, when you are a caregiver for a loved one with dementia, celebrating Christmas can become challenging.
When my Mama, who had dementia for well over a decade was in the early stages of the disease, she was still aware of seasons and most holidays. As time went on, she became less so. Dementia stole her ability to look forward to Christmas, birthdays, or any other previously meaningful day or time of the year. The pages turned on the calendar, but her days remained the same.
Category: Singing/Songs
“Music does not reside in the brain, it lives in the soul.”
Singing and the enjoyment of music is an ability that typically lingers longer even while other abilities diminish.
The Magic of Music in Memories
The power of music to trigger memories is well documented in studies and by organizations such as Music and Memory . Singing with a loved one is a wonderful way to keep connected. Most folks have a song or two tucked away in their memory. A song learned when they were eight will remain with them when they are 80.
And a little child shall lead them
She toddled over to one of the residents, smiled and reached her hand out to grab her walker. It was as if she put a nickel in the older lady.
It’s beginning to look alot like Christmas…
Everywhere you go…. One of the wonderful things about this time of the year is that it is steeped in all the essential elements that help stir and awaken the areas in our brains that have to do with memory. Songs. After my Mama was unable to carry on a conversation or even speak, she…
“I’ll be me”
“I am a lineman for the county, and I drive the main road. Searchin’ in the sun for another overload. I hear you singin’ in the wire, I can hear you through the whine, and the Wichita lineman is still on the line” If you began singing along while reading those words, then perhaps you…
Sing, sing, singing the blues away
Are you feeling blue? Overwhelmed? Take heart – or take up singing. The almost magical affect music has on those suffering from dementia are well established, but what about those who care for them? Here’s some good news: I just read about a study that showed a wonderful side-benefit to music therapy. It seems that…
Jingles
“I am stuck on Band-Aid brand, cause band aid’s stuck on me.” “Oh, I’d love to be an Oscar Meyer wiener, that is what I’d truly like to be, cause if I were an Oscar Meyer wiener, everyone would be in love with me.” “In the valley of the jolly-ho, ho, ho. Green Giant”…
Singing along
One of the most surprising discoveries we made in this adventure called “Caring for Mama”, was that the ability to sing does not decline at the same rate at other abilities – even talking. It could be, as my husband says that “Music does not reside in the brain, it lives in the soul.” That…