Listening to music can really help to boost the feelings and improve the emotions of seniors. Music is a great idea for putting smiles on the faces of all the participants with music activities for seniors.
An activity idea that would be great for encouraging group participation might be a singing competition. You could play around with the categories by having things like solo, duets, or groups. You could even have prizes for the best singer, best participation, or even best dancer from each category. This activity is not necessarily to measure the singing ability of the contestants but rather to encourage them to interact with each other, and to have fun.
Organize seniors to participate in group sing a long's. Prepare songs that they are familiar with and are one of their favorites. This can grow into a very healthy weekly or even bi-weekly activity. Something which the seniors can look forward to and which their family could even come to enjoy with them as well.
Music activities for seniors are a great asset to improve their health, reduce stress, anxiety, loneliness and communication difficulties. It is a wonderful therapy tool which produces relaxation and can alleviate depression. When a familiar song is played it brings cherished memories of the past.
For a music program and sing alongs, look for classic songs, country, gospel or even contemporary songs on CD or in DVD or VHS format. Most seniors love classic tunes and songs they can remember from their childhood, or ethnic songs. Playing ethnic songs can be a great way to introduce other activities from specific countries or ethnic backgrounds. Use a nice variety for music programs and music therapy.
Most seniors may have always gone to church, or had religious gathering of some sort so if your nursing home already has a church program then it would be a great idea to incorporate some gospel sing along DVD's. The community church choir can be invited to sing songs for the elderly residents. Seniors who don't tend to have visitors will enjoy making new friends and meeting new faces. There are a lot of groups who would be more than willing to sing songs or perform their musical talents in nursing homes.
Perhaps you could even arrange a singing festival of sorts for one night. Try different themes such as Christmas, the 50's, Gospel, etc. Have fun with it. Even have some of the nursing home staff participate! Then, select judges from the seniors and let them pick the winner.
Research has shown that music therapy can help calm patients and it helps to enhance long term memory, especially useful for patients with Alzheimer's disease. Singing familiar songs can stimulate the brain to decrease agitation and is an effective way to improve memory recall. It can help patients remember deep memories and images of the past.
When you use Music activities for seniors you have many options to play around with.
