Music is a part of every stage of life. Whether being sung lullabies as a child, finding a favorite artist during your teen years, or reminiscing about old songs as you age, music has a way of tying your mind to a specific moment of your life and improving your mood. As you age, music’s impact on your life does not go away. Some may argue that music has an even greater impact once you are among the elderly. Consider a few of the below impacts.

Improves Their Memory

Music has been used quite frequently in nursing homes and other establishments as a sort of medicine for combatting Alzheimer’s and dementia. While memory loss is hard to prevent or cure, music still has the ability to strike up old memories from one’s past. Music can stimulate past feelings, especially if a specific song is tied to a far-off memory of an individual. Even though one may not think it, music serves as a powerful medicine, and it is being used more frequently as a healing tool as individuals go through the aging process, in hopes to prevent or make memory loss less significant.

Conversation Starter

The elderly can be very conversational when they want to be. But if they find themselves stuck in a nursing home following the same routine every day, they may begin to lose interest in many topics, as they are finding nothing new to talk about. In these cases, music can serve as a great conversation starter. Whether listening to music that strikes up memories from their past, attending a performance, or even listening to their grandchild’s favorite song, music is a diverse topic that can spark many different conversations. As a result, this also improves the social lives of the elderly, as they are never too old to make new friends.

Gives Them Company

Sadly, life can get lonely at times for the elderly. The older they get, the less they get together with friends and the fewer visitors they receive. Especially if they live alone, they can quickly begin to feel the effects of isolation. In this sense, music acts as a great source of company. Listening to background music while completing mundane tasks can make one feel less lonely and might actually motivate them to put some more energy into their tasks. Think of a time you’ve had to complete housework or cook food for yourself and how comforting it can be to have music on in the background. This is even more profound for the elderly, as they love filling the silence with their favorite tunes, especially those they came to know and love in their youth.