Photo by Steve.
Once a week I spend the afternoon with a dozen friends at a local skilled nursing center.Sometimes we have a lull in an activity we're doing together.
When this happens, I always offer to sing as a way to fill the time.
They howl, "No, don't do that."
This week we were joking about our day being a stereotypical Monday. One of the residents asked me if I knew the song "Monday. Monday," released in 1966.
Again, I volunteered to sing. Olivia protested, "Nooooo!"
Instead of singing, I found the song on my smart phone and started playing the video for her. I was using a mic for our activity, so I put the mic to the speaker on my phone so that everyone in the room could listen along.
Olivia started singing along (but she wouldn't let me do so). She was really enjoying the moment. It made me smile.
I should think about doing this more often. It's incredible to me that we can prompt memories by accessing pictures, audio files, video clips and film clips available on our smart phones.
My single anecdote parallels what researchers have found. A literature review published in 2014 compiles evidence from 65 scholarly articles to show that music can relieve depression and anxiety in older people.
The number of older adults using digital media is increasing as reported this week in the The New York Times, but there are still some who have very poor access to online media.
The next time you take a trip down memory lane, think of an older adult living in your town who might enjoy taking such a trip to some of their favorite songs, television shows and films from a previous decade.
Share the wealth of media that you you carry with you on a phone, tablet or laptop.
Related:
Music Triggers Memories
