How Does Playing Music Help the Elderly?

No age is considered too old to play a music instrument. Music does not discriminate and so even a person above 80 can play an instrument as long as they have the ability to. Our elderly have seen almost all the wonders of this world and after a life of hard work and growing a generation; they need something to keep them relaxed. Playing music can be a great way to do this and the benefits are plenty. The following are some examples of the benefits the elderly get from playing music:

Making Connections

For most people, loneliness usually begins to creep in as they get to that age of retirement. Your family and friends may not be available all the time and so playing music can be a great way to build new connections. By having other people around you, you will feel less isolated and happier. With the newly acquired friends, you could even form a band and perform at different local places around your area. Your family and friends could also feel more connected to you through music.

Reduce Stress

As an elderly person, you always want to feel relaxed and why not? You deserve it. So stress should be the last thing in your mind. Of course, there are a number of ways to reduce your stress for example reading a book, taking a walk or sleeping but playing music can be very soothing and relaxing as well. According to research, playing music helps increase your dopamine and serotonin levels. These neurotransmitters are known to create a feeling of pleasure. That means they help you relax more.

Improve Hearing, Sight and Coordination

As we grow old, our sight and hearing may not be as clear and sharp as when we were young. Coordination could also prove to be difficult at times. Playing music has been proven to improve the eyesight, hearing and coordination of the elderly. While you play your musical instrument a hormone is produced that helps slow down the process of aging. This helps limit the decrease in sight clarity and hearing sharpness.

A Good Brain Exercise

The loss of memory and concentration is a common phenomenon among our seniors. That is why most seniors are often involved in activities that helps keep them sharp. Playing music can be one of those activities. In a report by the Hearing journal, an experiment done involving a group of elderly people playing the piano 3 hours a week for 3 consecutive months showed that there was an improvement in memory and sharpness after that period. However, those who were not playing any instrument during that period remained the same way.

Challenge Yourself

At an age above 60 or 70, there are few things in this world that challenge you and so playing music can be a way to drive yourself to the limit and see what you can achieve. You can choose to learn new musical instruments, set goals and try to accomplish them. Goals give you a renewed sense of purpose and direction. With purpose and direction you feel rejuvenated again, just like when you were young and energetic.

Conclusion

Given these points, we can see just how beneficial playing music can be for our elderly. It helps them connect, relax, stay sharp and challenge themselves. We should therefore encourage our elderly people to play music instruments.