There are many things that can help elderly adults. Two of the things that studies and research have shown can help elderly adults are music and art therapy. These two types of therapy can help elderly adults in so many ways. They can improve mood, slow down the progression of memory loss, increase happiness, and so much more. If you want to offer your elderly loved one these benefits, you and their caregivers can work together to get them into music and art therapy.
Trying Out Music Therapy
Do you want to get your elderly loved one into music therapy? If so, there are some things that you may want to do. These things include the following:
- Allow your elderly loved one to choose the type of music they want to listen to (everyone has their own music preferences). You could even play different types of music to see what helps your elderly loved one the most.
- Use different types of music to improve different moods. For instance, if your elderly loved one is feeling sad, they may need more upbeat music. If they want to relax, soothing music would be a better option.
- Encourage your elderly loved one to move around when they are listening to music. They can clap their hands, tap their feet, or even dance around (if they can).
These are some of the things that you can do when trying to get your elderly loved one into music therapy.
Trying Out Art Therapy
Art therapy might be right for your elderly loved one, as well. If you would like to get your elderly loved one into art therapy, there are some things that can help you to do this. Some of these things include the following:
- Help your elderly loved one only when they need it. For instance, if they need help holding the paintbrush, you can help them out.
- Talking to your elderly loved one while they are taking part in art therapy could be beneficial, too. You can ask them what they are creating or what their goals are for the piece they are creating. This can get them talking and help them out even more.
- Don’t put a time limit on your elderly loved one’s art therapy session. Allow them to have freedom to create the pieces they want to create. On the other hand, if they don’t want to finish something all in one session, allow them to finish it at another time.
These are some of the ways that you can make art therapy more beneficial for your elderly loved one.
Research shows that music and art therapy can be extremely beneficial for elderly adults. You and caregivers can see if these types of therapy would be beneficial for your elderly loved one, as well.
Sources: https://positivepsychology.com/music-therapy-benefits/
https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/participating-arts-creates-paths-healthy-aging
