Residents of a Singapore nursing residence are gleefully dancing to the melodic nostalgic oldies sung by iconic crooning legends, however in a silent disco setting, which is a part of a method that has been discovered to have efficiently helped enhance the situation of seniors battling dementia.
The residents listened to tunes by headphones from the 1940s to the 1980s in an hour-long silent disco session, AFP reported.
The Apex Concord Lodge, which specialises in caring for dementia sufferers, performed music in English, Malay, and Chinese language to get the residents transferring.
“I do not actually know easy methods to dance; I simply fiddle. I’ve thick pores and skin,” 54-year-old Christine Chong, who has early-onset dementia, mentioned cheekily.
One other resident, Goh Kian Ho, 63, sang enthusiastically whereas tapping his foot and clapping his fingers to a Hokkien quantity. “It is excellent that we will play and sing,” he mentioned.
Singapore, like many Asian nations, has been grappling with an ageing inhabitants and rising dementia charges, the report mentioned.
Singapore’s Ministry of Well being estimates that 86,000 folks — one in 10 aged 60 and above — have dementia, with the quantity anticipated to develop to 152,000 by 2030.
Analysis means that music remedy will be helpful for folks with sure circumstances, comparable to Alzheimer’s illness, which may result in issue with dialog and cognition.
“We play previous songs, after which they assist to set off the feelings of our residents which are typically related to sure reminiscences from their previous, so this helps to supply a way of familiarity and luxury for our residents,” mentioned Grace Wong, an affiliate psychologist at Apex Concord Lodge.
The idea of weekly silent disco classes in nursing and care houses originated in nursing houses within the UK and Australia.
Initially, Johnson Soh, a former music govt, began a music programme for seniors after his father was recognized with dementia, and music from his era helped his father’s situation.
“He was my first guinea pig, really. His consciousness was heightened,” mentioned Soh.
Greater than 10 institutions in Singapore have adopted the programme because it started in 2019, in accordance with Soh.
Dubbed “Return to the Tea Dance”, the initiative goals to evoke blissful reminiscences of Sunday afternoon dances that had been fashionable with younger folks in 1960s Singapore, the report defined.
“All people has a soundtrack to their lives, so there’s all the time some music that will have impacted you someday throughout your life,” Soh mentioned.
“It’s inexplicable; I believe music is one thing that basically strikes folks,” he added.