Rhythm For Good

Tag Archives | Older Adults

7 music strategies for people living with late-stage dementia

By Kat Fulton on December 6, 2011 in Older Adults

Last year for the holidays, I wrote about 4 Rhythma-tastic Holiday Goodies for Facilitating. Check the bottom of that post for additional holiday tips from other music therapists!

Those tips are awesome to use with all sorts and types of clients. But when I wrote it, I had residents in independent living in mind. You can certainly adapt and modify the tips according to the needs of your own clients.

Today however, I would like to address spending the holidays with people who are in mid-late stages Alzheimers/dementia. The topic of engaging with those in late stage dementia came up a lot at the American Music Therapy Association conference. (By the way, did you know that you can win a free membership in AMTA by Dec 20?)

I’m listing 7 awesome strategies to make music with those in late stage dementia. Of course completing a proper assessment and treatment plan are a must! Also, make sure to consult with a board-certified music therapist in your area. You can find them all listed here.

And these are great tools, but most importantly, speak, interact, touch, dance, and sing with your clients in late stage dementia regularly. That’s what matters…. the relationship and environment that YOU help to create.

Don’t forget to include the family in the assessment. They will have some great insight for you as you design the treatment plan.

I also adopt the philosophy of “Less talking, More experiencing” when working with people who have Alzheimer’s. Words may get in the way. However, I use words to speak clearly in preparing my client for what’s to come. For instance “Betty, these are bells. May I have your hand?”

These strategies have a very quick learning curve, so dig in!

1. Hand-over-hand drum sliding. Animal skin feels so nice if you have an authentic drum. But also rubbing someone’s hand over a synthetic drum head creates a calming ocean-rain sound. Perfect song: Silent Night

2. Hand-over-hand drum-tum-tumming. You must be gentle to avoid bruising. Even just guiding the fingers tips in tapping the drum. Perfect song: Winter Wonderland

3. Hand-over-hand drumming with a mallet. Sometimes drumming becomes easier when mallets are used. Watch my review of the adaptive mallet cuff. If your client needs assistance with grasp, then the mallet cuff is right up your alley. Perfect song: 12 Days Of Christmas (with 12 drummers drumming) or Little Drummer Boy

4. Velcro-strap jingle bells. Another type of assistive instrument. I especially like these because they have a nice round sound, and they are the perfect weight. You can velcro these to wrists and ankles, then do some hand-over-hand Rockin Around the Christmas Tree!

5. Ocean drum. This drum provides a great tactile experience. You can place it in a lap, or share it so there are four hands holding it. Sway it back and forth. Swirl it round and round. Perfect song: Do You Hear What I Hear (Change the lyrics according to the in-the-moment experience.)

6. Cabasa. Tactile, tactile, tactile. Roll it to the beat. Roll it for ambient sound. Make sure to prepare your client by saying “I’m going to roll this cabasa up and down your arm.” Start with a gentle touch. Perfect song: Festival of Lights for Hanukkah

7. Hand-over-hand tambourines. Roll the hand over the jingles, rub the hand on the drum head. Perfect song: We Three Kings

I use chimes, triangles, and toning bowls cautiously for this population, unless I’m absolutely sure that it’s a good fit for the individual. With the proper preparation and demonstration, these tools would be perfect. But avoid any instrument that might startle your client.

And remember: The brain is active. The brain is receptive. Introduce yourself. Allow the opportunities for the individual to vocalize back and forth in conversation.

My friend Natalie Mullis wrote recently about Alzheimer’s and Divorce. Also, my friend Rachelle Norman wrote about using an ocean drum with her clients living with late stage. Both are great reads!

Off to the Jingle Jungle for me! 3 holiday sessions back-to-back this morning. Did I ever mention this is the best job EVER?

What do you do for your clients living with mid-late stage dementia?

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VIDEO: Mashup for Drumming with Older Adults: Ayub + Opera

By Kat Fulton on July 14, 2010 in Drumming, Older Adults

Ayub Rhythm + Habanera from Bizet’s Carmen = Successful Older Adult Drumming and Singing

Here’s a fun way to drum with older adults in your music therapy or group drumming sessions. I particularly enjoy introducing something new by way of something old and familiar. (Granted, the Ayub rhythm is much “older” than Carmen, it will probably be “new” to most groups in the US and west.) So, get your doumbeks warmed up and play!

The YouTube link follows: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dv-ZjmGSuF0

Got any more group drumming mashups? Got any thoughts to share? I’d love to hear your ideas!

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VIDEO: Drum with Older Adults

By Kat Fulton on April 20, 2010 in Drumming, For Music Therapists, Older Adults

I wrote a description of this song intervention in No Worries, No Hurries, and No Wrong Notes. Now you can see it in action! I am using Blue Suede Shoes as a guided music-making experience with improvisation. Because Blue Suede Shoes is a standard 12-bar blues, you can use any song with the same form. Other songs I use include Rock Around the Clock, Hound Dog, Elvis selections, Eric Clapton selections, and more.

When drumming with older adults, remember that people take comfort in synchronicity and familiarity. With that in mind, I always start the group session with a greeting song that includes everyone’s names, check-in exercise, orientation to others in the group, movement, and breathing. Then I can assess whether or not the group is ready for drumming.

Once I hand out drums, I start out with some simple familiar exercises that you can watch in the post Make Music with Older Adults. Then, I invite all the participants turn to their neighbor and say “Wow! You’re a good drummer!” As soon as the participants are comfortable making some music on the drums, then I suggest using this guided experience with improvisation.

I also use Arthur Hull‘s bunny hop technique found in the Drum Circle Facilitation book: I start with big visual and vocal cues, then gradually taper down and disappear, providing the basic chordal and rhythmic supportive structure in the background of the players. The focus is on the players, not the therapist or facilitator.

After the session, I always document the group’s behavioral and psychosocial responses. Have fun!

PS There are a million and one variations to the directions that I lay out in this example, so be sure to to adapt, change, and transform for your own groups.

What do you think? Is this similar to your drumming experiences with older adults?

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Make Music for St. Patrick’s Day

By Kat Fulton on March 16, 2010 in For Music Therapists, Older Adults

There are a million ways to get in the Irish spirit this season. Leprechauns, rainbows, and shamrocks are posted in store windows and on community walls. Irish fiddlers are sitting on street corners. Everybody is wearing green socks, shirts, earrings, tattoos. It’s everywhere!

The easiest way to get my older adult clients in the spirit is to bring loads of green shakers, a penny whistle, and a bodhrán.

A penny whistle is a fun, easy instrument that you can carry around in a purse or a guitar case. Bring it to the beach or to the mountains and play it in nature. Or play it with friends. You can make up your own melody or learn some traditional Irish tunes.

The shakers are great for keeping the rhythm of tunes such as When Irish Eyes are Smiling, I’ll Take You Home Again Kathleen, and Cockles and Mussels.

The bodhrán is a traditional Irish frame drum that is commonly used in Irish music today. You can keep the downbeat on your drum with 2,700 other musicians here at the world’s largest Irish music jam session:

Finally, if a green shaker, penny whistle, and bodhrán are too far out of reach, simply turn on some Van Morrison, U2, or Lisa Hannigan and make up your own Irish jig!

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There’s No Wrong Way to Play!

By Kat Fulton on March 4, 2010 in Older Adults

This article is a copy of my guest blog post on www.MusicAfter50.com (woo hoo!). Here is an excerpt:

This is usually my mantra when facilitating a drum class or music therapy session with older adults. There’s no wrong way to play. You can feel the natural, rhythmic flow to the statement when you say it out loud. There’s no wrong way to play! And the best part is that it’s the truth. In music, dance, and art, there really is no wrong way. Whatever comes out is an extension of yourself. (Leave the judgment and criticism behind during this article.) Truly, as much as we urge people to play the “right” notes, get the “right” rhythm, harmonize on the “right” interval, listen for the “right” chord progression, please be mindful that what’s “right” is relative. As a classically trained pianist with an undergraduate degree in piano performance and music theory, I strongly value what we consider to be “high quality” performance, according to the genre. At the same time, I appreciate another aspect of music, something that goes beyond rules and standards. Something that touches our very core.