His visitors realized the Schalke legend Rudi Assauer is no longer – but some of the old songs he could sing with them. Music can bring people with advanced Alzheimer’s for a short time from the dusk. This and other encouraging measures, uses the modern, dementia-therapy.
The last pictures of the Schalke legend Rudi Assauer show a sunken man with an empty gaze, which seems older than his 74 years – typical for people with advanced Alzheimer’s. The former editor-in-chief of the “sports picture” Alfred Draxler had visited his longtime friend in April of 2018, and recognized him but for a long time.
A few years ago, they would have sung together the Schalke club song, and a melody of the pigeon fanciers. Assauer, the more communicated because verbally was for the songs far into his disease to the text, remembers Draxler on bild.de today.
A gap to Forget tear
It is typical for people with advanced Alzheimer’s, some of the stimuli, tearing the darkness in the head – then the bright light of memory through a gap in the intellectual twilight seems to be. One of the strongest stimuli for the music from the previous life.
In recent years, therapists and care facilities are increasingly using the option to enable Alzheimer’s patients to the level, which are not yet available. While the thoughts and skills are increasingly removed from the hard drive of the brain permanently, remain the feelings and sense impressions.
1. The music of the youth you don’t forget
The Band “Mr. August and colleagues” performed regularly in homes with people with dementia in a Munich-based senior citizens. The previous Chip-editor Stefanie Biberger has 2018 the employee volunteer award from Burda. She said at the time: “The hits and Evergreeens, we sing, we awaken the joy and memory. On touching is when someone who is suffering from dementia, seems to the whole appearance of absent and apathetic, and then a song will recognize – all of a sudden he starts singing along, clapping or just in the clock is moving.“
That people have almost forget everything, remember melodies and lyrics from Childhood and youth, interested in the science. Studies suggest that music is stored in brain regions that are affected only very late in the day of the removal processes of dementia. The music memory remains, therefore, a particularly long one.
2. Dancing makes Alzheimer’s patients happy
The French documentary, “90 years of life, shows no age”, the delivery in June 2017 to Arte, in a touching way, how the dance workshop of a well-known ballet dancer, Alzheimer’s ill seniors made in a rather dreary nursing home, day-to-day lively and happy. The 90-year-old Blanche fell in love-even head over heels for the beautiful young dancers.
For Alzheimer’s disease-Affected Dancing can be, especially in an earlier stage is important: It can slow down the dementia. This is due to the combination of memory – and motion training, dances with the classical standard. The physical proximity of the Dance is an added feel-good aspect.
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3. Stories of the past to awaken the memory
It is a phenomenon of old age is that memories from Childhood and youth are much more vivid. For Alzheimer’s patients, whose short-term failed memory increasingly, it is often the only way to see your life and perceive.
A photo album, an anecdote, a favorite dish of Childhood can serve as a hanger, beautiful experiences and the experiences of the past evoke.
4. Employment activated in Alzheimer’s patients
It can be a simple home job or a straightforward DIY job – if Alzheimer’s have patients do something to make it a positive experience: “I can do anything!” This may awaken old ambitions and remaining abilities no longer maintain.
The patient might not come up with an idea on how you can deal with. Carers and family may motivate you therefore – but never push. And, above all, do not lose patience!
5. In the Alzheimer’s village life is played
Many Alzheimer’s patients have a great desire for movement. You are in a nursing home as out of place as such, the miss your daily life with shopping, cleaning, sitting in a Café. Alone you cannot live but also, because you return from the walk or in the supermarket nonsensical things to buy.
One solution is so-called dementia villages, where everything looks like the real thing, but is fenced in and from care staff is monitored. The prototype is Hogeweyk, which was founded in 2009 in the vicinity of Amsterdam: Over 150 patients living in 23 different residential units. And that at the bus stop never get a Bus pass, or the walking paths again and again to the starting point, interfere in the small Alzheimer’s world, no one.
Since 2014 is the first German dementia village is located on the outskirts of Hameln. There are four units, each with 13 rooms. The people with dementia to participate in shaping their everyday lives, such as help in the kitchen or working in the garden.
