Melodic Memories Senior Sing-alongs

Singing Christmas Carols with friends and family is a favorite holiday pleasure. Here are three delightful DVDs designed specifically for seniors to sing along with. These are ideal for nursing homes and other assisted living facilities or for private in-home care.

The Christmas DVD has many of the best loved and well known 

Activities directors and other healthcare professionals here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professionals.

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care  professionals to get an easyceu or two

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Christmas Songs, including: Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Come All Ye Faithful, Away in a Manger, Jingle Bells, Deck the Halls, Joy to the World, and many more. View a list of all of the songs included in the three DVDs.

Activity Director’s and in-home caregivers are finding the Melodic Memories sing-along videos provide entertainment, enjoyment, social interaction and stimulation to their senior residents. Even dementia sufferers who are otherwise quite unresponsive have shown very positive response and benefited greatly from the Melodic Memories series.

Lyrics are large enough to be read on screen, with black lettering on a white background. 

Dementia agitation and alternate therapies

Activities directors and other healthcare professionals here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professinals.

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care  professionals to get an easyceu or two



Myoptimumhealth.com

Jane Harrison R.D.

Scientists are trying to find new ways to preserve memory and perhaps even prevent Alzheimer's. But what if a loved one already has this debilitating disease?
There is no cure for Alzheimer's disease, but you can try to enhance the person's quality of life. One way to do this is with therapies that take aim at the anxiety, depression and agitated behaviors that often come with dementia. You can talk to your doctor about using these therapies along with medication or as an alternative.
Alternative treatments
Music therapy, massage, exercise and aromatherapy have all shown promise in helping to ease the depressive and anxious behaviors of dementia. But aside from a few small studies, solid proof is lacking on these treatments. Large-scale randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm the results.
All the same, some caregivers and people who work with Alzheimer's patients report seeing improvements from using the following alternative therapies:
Music therapy

Music that is familiar and likable may help to ease depression and agitation in people with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. In some cases it can also improve sociability and movement. This is especially true if it has personal meaning for someone or is connected with events from his or her past. Even if someone cannot name the tune, familiar songs can bring a sense of happiness, calm or peace.
Pet therapy

Some people with dementia seem to respond to the comforting presence of an animal even if they respond to little else. Just petting, walking or playing with dogs (or other animals) can bring out feelings of calm and well-being. It makes some people with Alzheimer's remember pets from the past and brings others out of their shells. Regular contact with a pet can help lessen anxiety and agitation and promote social skills.
Massage

There is some evidence that massage therapy may reduce behaviors such as wandering, aggression and agitation. In two studies, hand massage and gentle touching during conversation helped ease agitation and restore appetite in dementia patients over short periods of about an hour. Some researchers and caregivers also believe that massage may help improve memory and cognition in those with dementia.
Exercise

Light exercise and walking appear to reduce wandering, aggression and agitation in some people with Alzheimer's. Mixing exercise into daily routines and scheduled activities can also help ease problem behaviors, some studies found. The type of exercise should be tailored to the person's abilities. Always check with your doctor before you start any type of exercise program.
Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is the use of pure essential oils from fragrant plants. Some research suggests that aromatherapy can promote relaxation and sleep, relieve pain and reduce depression. One small trial showed that aromatherapy significantly helped to relieve agitation and other psychiatric symptoms. Larger trials are underway.
Melatonin and Bright light therapy

Sleep disorders are very common with dementia. Along with the hormone melatonin, exposure to bright light is known to play a role in our sleep/wake cycles. In one well-controlled study, researchers learned that people exposed to specific amounts of daytime bright light showed modest improvements in dementia symptoms such as depression, mood and sleep. One small study, though, showed that melatonin could reverse this good effect. But more research is needed to see the effects of melatonin and light therapy on people with dementia. Some research has not found that melatonin improves any cognitive or behavioral problems seen with dementia.
In any case, do not take any supplements without first talking to your doctor.
A word on vitamin E and ginkgo

• Vitamin E. Some studies have shown that vitamin E can slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease, while other studies have shown no benefit. Doctors now warn people against taking large dosages of vitamin E, because it can raise your risk of cardiovascular death.
• Ginkgo. It was once thought that extracts from the leaves of the ginkgo biloba tree could help slow the progression of memory problems. A large-scale scientific study debunked that theory, though.

View the original Alternative therapies that may help ease the struggles of Alzheimer's dementia article on myOptumHealth.com 

Advances for Alzheimer's, Outside the Lab

Activities Directors, other healthcare professionals, and caregivers. Here is further validation for something we already know about music and dementia
Time Magazine
They sit demurely in rows of plastic chairs, hands in their laps, awaiting instructions. They have been dressed carefully by their spouses and relatives in ankle-long frocks or neat cardigans, with crisply knotted ties — the overly formal style of the aged

Organizing this unlikely choir is Chreanne Montgomery-Smith, who runs support groups for the Newbury branch of Britain's Alzheimer's Society. On cue, the 40 or so Alzheimer's and dementia patients join hands and begin singing in unison — a tentative rendition of Amazing Grace. They remember most of the words and their chorus fills the hall. Montgomery-Smith is certain that the music helps bring her patients' thoughts — ravaged by dissonance and dislocation — into harmony

You can see how they become lucid....read the whole article

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