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How Seniors Can Benefit from Music Therapy
Jun 6th
Growing older can be frustrating. Besides all of the aches and pains associated with aging, many seniors begin developing problems remembering or being able to focus. Scientists and health professionals are beginning to see how seniors can benefit from music therapy. It may be something you want to consider to help seniors in your life.
What exactly is music therapy? Music therapy is an activity in which a qualified person uses music, whether listening or learning to play, as a means to bring about positive changes in a person’s cognitive, physical, psychological, or social functioning.
The ultimate goal of music therapy is to improve a patient’s or client’s quality of life. This is done through encouraging them to participate and interact with others taking music therapy, by providing individual treatment, and by influencing their well-being.
How can music therapy benefit seniors? The therapist uses music therapy to address a myriad of personal goals. These include developing musical skill in the client, enabling them to change their behavior, allowing them to express emotion and expect a resolution to them, as well as providing a sense of connectedness, comfort, and personal affirmation.
Music therapy can also be used to reduce stress and encourage relaxation, give structure to exercise and movement, and enhance personal relationships and social skills. Finally, music therapy is beneficial because music reinforces learning, improves focus, and improves a person’s self-esteem.
Music therapy easily captures your attention and it’s no different for those with diminished mental capacity due to illness or injury. In fact, music stimulates many parts of the brain, which can be extremely beneficial for those with dementia. Music can be used no matter what a person’s ability or disability. It is an effective memory aid and encourages movement. Music taps into our memories and plucks on our heart strings.
Making music together, no matter which instrument is being used, allows those taking music therapy classes to relax and enjoy themselves. Because it evokes emotion and brings back memories, even if a person is merely listening you can see the smile appear on their face.
Music therapy may include singing together, playing instruments, improvising, moving to the rhythm of the music, or simply listening. You can find music therapy sessions being offered in rehabilitation facilities, nursing homes, day care treatment centers, mental health centers, and psychiatric hospitals. Some correctional facilities, hospice programs, and private practices also use music therapy to benefit their clients and patients.
Conditions which can be improved by using music therapy include but are not limited to:
* Alzheimer’s disease
* Brain injuries
* Developmental disabilities
* Phantom limb pain
* Paralysis to an arm or leg following a stroke
As you can see, there are many benefits to using music therapy with seniors. Once treatment has begun, you can expect to see improvements in their ability to maintain focus, pay attention to detail, and maybe even in their ability to remain stable on their feet. All-in-all, music therapy has so much potential it’s no wonder the medical community is beginning to use it to treat seniors.
Stress Management Techniques for Seniors
Jun 6th
Stress is something nearly everyone has to deal with. You may not be able to do much about the things stressing you, but can you do something to help the senior citizens in your life? What stress management techniques for seniors can you pass along to help them?
Even though most seniors already know it, you may want to help them remember that managing stress is simply taking charge of the things in your life that you can control. This may mean managing a schedule that seems to have gotten out of control. It could also mean being sure to strive for balance in life rather than letting life run you ragged.
Help them identify what the stressors are in their life. Are they concerned about having enough money to live off of in their golden years? Can you go with them to speak with a financial advisor? They may be able to subdue some of the fears which are causing so much stress.
Are the seniors in your life stressed about their health? Go with them to their next doctor’s appointment and discuss their concerns with the doctor. They will likely be able to address those concerns or recommend they visit a specialist who can better help them. Their doctor may suggest they spend time with a psychologist to help them deal with the stressors they experience.
Suggest they take yoga classes to help them manage their stress. Yoga will teach them to improve their posture, learn to breathe properly, and may help them become more limber. Another benefit to learning yoga is that it helps the body relax, which means they’ll learn to manage the stress they feel.
Meditation is another stress management technique seniors may want to try. Once they learn to meditate, they will find their heart rate slows, their blood pressure lowers, and they’ll be taking in more oxygen. All of these things lead seniors to manage their stress in a more effective way.
Have you always liked to put together jigsaw puzzles? There’s something very relaxing about putting puzzles together. They can concentrate on the puzzle alone which may make the stress seniors feel less of a problem.
Suggest they stay away from people who cause them stress. Perhaps they have a neighbor that bothers them and wants to borrow tools all the time. They can learn to say ‘no’ when a request is made, or simply refuse to answer the door. If they’re able to avoid the stressor they won’t be affected by it.
They may want to downsize their home. Even though your parents may have lived in the same home their entire married life, if they’re in a two-story home and neither can climb stairs very well, it might be time to move to a one-floor home. The thoughts of moving may cause stress, especially if they have years of accumulated things, but they may feel a sense of freedom once they’re in a new, smaller home.
No one wants to be affected by stress, particularly when they’re supposed to be headed to their golden years. There are many stress management techniques for seniors to try. Encourage them to try several methods until they find the one that’s best for them.
Ways to Reduce Your Alcohol Intake without Taking the Fun Out of Your Social Life
Jun 5th
Many people think you have to drink alcohol in large quantities in order to have a good time socially. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. If you enjoy a drink now and then, that’s alright. You can learn ways to reduce your alcohol intake without taking the fun out of your social life. It’s isn’t nearly as hard as you might think.
Perhaps you have a good reason to cut back on your alcohol intake. Drinking too much can wreak havoc on your heart, raise your blood pressure, and could lead to your having a stroke. In addition, certain medications must not be mixed with alcohol, so it’s important to know how to reduce your alcohol intake. Here are some of the ways you can achieve this.
Rather than ordering a full-size glass of wine with dinner, order a small glass or a wine spritzer. This will reduce the amount of alcohol you consume quite a bit. You could also ask to get a glass of ice water with your wine so you can drink that along with the wine.
Avoid drinking alcohol on an empty stomach. Having food in your stomach when you drink will give the alcohol something to be absorbed into. This means less of the alcohol will go directly into your blood stream and the effects won’t be as bad.
You may also want to avoid drinking at all during the week. Limiting your drinking to the weekend while you’re out with friends means your social life won’t be affected. Of course, you can still use the two previous ideas to help you drink less.
Treat yourself to something nice with the money you’ve saved from not drinking. Mixed drinks while you’re out can be quite pricey. If you choose to drink club soda or soft drinks rather than alcohol, you can save a good amount. And since you’re expected to leave a tip based on the price of your drink, you can save that way, too. Use the money you’ve saved to buy something you’ve wanted but chose not to get because you felt you couldn’t afford it.
Most experts recommend a woman drink no more than two servings of any alcoholic beverage a day. That may not seem like much if you’re used to drinking more. Men are allowed one more drink per day. If you’re drinking to reduce the amount of stress you feel each day, going to the gym or finding other means of reducing stress may help you drink less, as well.
There are a lot of reasons people choose to drink. If you have something to celebrate, that doesn’t mean alcohol has to be part of the celebration. You can find ways to reduce your alcohol intake without taking the fun out of your social life. It may take a while to get used to going without alcohol, but before too long you won’t miss it all.
Home-Made Non-Alcoholic and Delicious Cocktails
Jun 5th
Holidays are a great time for families and friends to get together to celebrate. Unfortunately, more and more families are affected by alcohol abuse these days. Rather than just offering alcoholic beverages, try one or more of these home-made non-alcoholic and delicious cocktails.
Peach Julius (Makes one serving)
Ingredients:
* 1 cup frozen or fresh peach juice
* 2 ounces milk (whatever percentage you prefer)
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream
* 1/2 cup of ice
Place the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. When the ingredients are totally blended, pour them into chilled glasses. You can adjust the water or juice by adding more if the mix is too thick; add more ice cream if the mix is too thin.
Virgin Miami Vice (Makes one serving)
Ingredients:
* 1 ounce pineapple juice
* 1 ounce coconut cream
* 1/2 ounce half and half cream
* 1 1/2 ounce strawberry puree
* 1 1/2 ounces lime juice
* 1/4 ounce simple syrup
* 1 cup crushed ice
* Strawberry or mint for garnish
In a blender, add half the ice, pineapple juice, coconut cream, and the cream. Blend this until it’s smooth and then pour it into a tall glass. Place the remaining ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. Carefully pour this mixture over a spoon to layer it over the pineapple-coconut layer. Add a strawberry, sprig of mint, or both as a garnish.
Non-Alcoholic “Champagne”
You can make a non-alcoholic “champagne” by adding 32 ounces of lemon and lime soft drink with 12 ounces of thawed white grape juice concentrate. Pour this into a container with a cover so it will remain fizzy until served. Serve as is out of the covered container or serve it out of a punch bowl.
Mudslides
Mudslides are a great option if you’re looking for a sweet non-alcoholic drink which still allows you to drive. You’ll need the following ingredients to make one serving:
* 3 scoops vanilla ice cream
* 1 teaspoon non-alcoholic amaretto flavored syrup
* 3 teaspoons non-alcoholic Irish cream flavored syrup
* Chocolate syrup to taste
* Splash of milk to thin down the mixture
Put the ice cream into a blender and add milk until the mixture is smooth. Add the amaretto syrup first and pulse it followed by the Irish cream flavored syrup. Add chocolate syrup to taste and blend the mixture again. Pour this into a tall glass. Finish it by placing a dollop of whipped cream and then drizzle additional chocolate syrup on top. To create a mocha-flavored drink, substitute coffee-flavored ice cream in place of the vanilla.
If you’re looking for non-alcoholic syrups to make some of your favorite drinks, you can often find them in the same area as coffee and tea in your local grocery store. You can also go to a favorite coffee shop and see if they have flavored syrups you can purchase.
Having a family member or friend with an issue with alcohol can make celebrating difficult. You don’t have to serve alcoholic beverages. Try one of these home-made non-alcoholic and delicious cocktails and they’ll still be able to enjoy the celebration.
How to Organize a Neighborhood Memorial Day Party
Jun 4th
Perhaps you’ve recently moved to your neighborhood. You haven’t had an opportunity to meet very many of your neighbors yet. Planning a neighborhood Memorial Day party is a great way to do just that and have fun in the process.
Start planning at least a month in advance. This will give you plenty of time to go around the neighborhood, introduce yourself, and ask if they would be interested in the party. Get names and telephone numbers from each of them so you can keep in contact with them. Set up a planning meeting at your home or the neighborhood recreation center or club house if it has one.
Decide where the party will be held. Contact your city government to see if you must have a permit. This may be necessary if you want to close off the street and have an old-fashioned block party. If this isn’t possible, will the neighbor with the biggest yard allow you to have the party at their home?
Plan the layout of the party once you know the location. Where will the food be placed? How many grills will there be? Where will everyone sit? Will there be tables and chairs provided or will they each be responsible for bringing their own lawn chairs? These are all questions you’ll want to answer as soon as you can so you can let your neighbors know what is expected of them.
Set the date and time. Which day of the three-day weekend will the party be: Saturday, Sunday, or Monday? Once you have the what, when, and where, you can begin making fliers to hand out. Be sure to decide on an alternate date or location in case of rain. Don’t forget to ask everyone to RSVP so you know how many to plan for. This will ensure no one purchases more than necessary.
For the party itself, there will need to be food, beverages, paper goods, and condiments. Ask everyone to chip in so one family won’t be in charge of providing everything. Plan for everyone to either provide something for the party or be in charge of an activity.
Of course, if there are children in the neighborhood, you’ll also want to plan some games. Water balloon tosses, a game of Frisbee, croquet, or horseshoes are all activities both children and adults may enjoy. Be sure that if you choose a game or activity with water, you include that on the invitation or flier so everyone can be prepared.
Decorations don’t have to be elaborate. In fact, having tablecloths of red, white, and blue and a few patriotic balloons may be all you need. For those who choose to decorate more, try to keep your decorations so they can be used for the Fourth of July or used again next year.
Depending upon the location, do as much set up as you can the day before the party. If you have to wait until the day of the party, call everyone who is bringing something and ask them to meet you early to set up. This will ensure the party will go off without a hitch when guests start to arrive.
Once you know how to organize a neighborhood Memorial Day party, don’t let that stop you! Plan regular neighborhood get-togethers and you’ll soon find your neighbors are good friends. That’s the way it was in the past, isn’t it time it’s the way of the future?
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