Senior Care in Scotch Plains NJ
Alzheimer’s is such a scary illness because it takes away everything that you know about your elderly loved one. Finding ways to reconnect with your loved one can seem impossible, and it hurts to
watch her being so shut off from everyone who loves her. While there are a lot of different therapies and techniques that you can try to connect with your loved one, art and music are two ways to try connecting that can make a big difference.
Using Music to Connect
Music can help to reduce levels of agitation, but it can also serve as a bridge between where your elderly loved one is now and who you used to know before the Alzheimer’s took hold. If you know of some songs that were favorites of your loved one, then make sure to have those available. Whenever possible, try to use music that isn’t on the radio. That way you can avoid interruptions from announcers and commercials. Try experimenting with different styles of music to see what appeals most to her and connects with her. It helps when engaging in music therapy to try to limit other noises, such as competing with the television or outside noises. For some elderly loved ones having the music too loud or too soft can also reduce how effective the music is, so some experimentation is in order.
Using Art to Connect
Just as kids sometimes find it easier to connect using art and drawing, so too can elderly loved ones. One downfall that you want to avoid is making the project feel childlike rather than adult. Use adult-oriented themes instead of items like children’s coloring books. Even if you think that your loved one wouldn’t notice, she truly would. Talk to your loved one while she’s working on her artwork. Encourage her while she’s working on her piece. Some elderly loved ones need a little bit of help starting out, but you can let them work at their own pace afterward. Your loved one doesn’t have to produce a finished piece of art at the end of each session. In fact, sometimes it might be more helpful to work on projects that take several sessions to complete. Above all, let your loved one lead the project.
Even if you can’t be there for each activity, make sure that you keep your loved one’s elder care providers apprised of what you’re doing in regards to art and music therapy. That way they can help your loved one stay active with those treatments.
If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring senior care services near Scotch Plains, NJ, call the caring staff at Helping Hands Home Care today at (908-418-4299).
Providing Home Care Services in all of Northern and Central NJ, including Clark, Westfield, Cranford, Scotch Plains, Rahway, Linden, Summit, Edison, Elizabeth, Mountainside and the surrounding areas.
Source
http://www.alz.org/
http://www.musictherapy.org/assets/1/7/MT_Alzheimers_2006.pdf
http://www.alzfdn.org/EducationandCare/art_therapy.html
After graduating from Seton Hall University with a BS in finance Helping Hands Homecare’s Owner / President, Robert D’Arienzo, went to work on Wall St. for six years. However, after Robert’s grandmother became ill with stomach cancer Robert and his family needed to find assistance in the home for her. After many trials and tribulations Robert could see that there was a great need for quality home care services here in NJ and loved the idea of being able to assist other families who were going through what his family went through with his beloved grandmother.
Thus, Robert had found his passion. After almost a year of preparation Robert opened Helping Hands Homecare in 2003. Robert wanted Helping Hands Homecare to focus on providing the highest quality of caregivers, exceptional customer service, and providing a service that familys could depend on in their time of need. Since then Helping Hands has assisted hundreds of individuals with the simplest of needs to more complex cases while preserving those standards set out many years ago.
Robert is a Google Verified Author
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