December 22, 2015
Art and music are so much a part of our lives from a very young age, starting from those first scribbles on paper (or walls!) and the endless singing of songs that drove our parents crazy after a while. We may not all become artists or musicians in the end, but we learn along the way about the things that we see and hear, and they become an integral part of our lives.
Aging shouldn’t change our love of the arts. At Continuum we strongly believe this. That’s why our St. Louis adult home care services are designed to incorporate the arts into our clients’ enrichment activities. Enriching our clients’ lives is a central part of what we do.
Our Missouri home care services are committed to providing more than just basic care. Continuum’s services include daily activities based on each person’s interests, hobbies and physical abilities, with the goal being to bring fresh joy to every day. Incorporating the beauty that music and the arts provide is an excellent way to accomplish this goal.
Incorporating the arts into adult home care services not only provides emotional and spiritual enrichment, but it can have a significant impact on a senior’s quality of life and even enhance his physical and mental capacities. For example:
- Drawing, watercolors and oil painting are great for mental stimulation and maintaining fine motor skills
- Nurses report that seniors have less anxiety and apathy after art museum visits
- Music plays a role in pain reduction, coping with stress and in stimulating the immune system
- Music can help relieve anxiety, agitation, depression and loneliness
- Art and music are can be particularly helpful for people with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease
- Art gives people with Alzheimer’s an opportunity to express themselves and communicate even after they’ve lost some of their ability to communicate
- Art therapy may help people with dementia regain some lost muscle function and coordination because it actively engages both hemispheres of the brain
- Music from their youth can trigger forgotten memories and trigger awakening responses (The effect is part memory activation, part stress relief and part cognitive activity.)
A 2010 study by CoroHealth Music First found that agitation and depression dropped by up to 54% when seniors were regularly exposed to music. And that’s not surprising – music is a source of comfort and relaxation for most of us. The rehabilitative effects of music and the arts become particularly important in adult home care services.
Continuum’s in-home health care services team offers not only the basic personal care and skilled nursing care your loved one may need, but also the extras that enhance life. Our skilled staff can provide companionship and encouragement for your loved one to continue exploring the things that give her pleasure, by incorporating her favorite music or exposing her to the arts on a regular basis. Give us a call at (314) 863-9912 or (636) 861-3336 or fill out our web form to learn about our senior home care services in St. Louis and St. Charles Counties.