Research shows that stroke patients that listen to music on a daily basis tend to see better recovery numbers than patients in recovery that do not listen to music.
This research, which was conducted by the University of Helsinki, focused on sounds and how they impacted recovery after a stroke. Test subjects listened to instrumental music, vocal music, and audiobooks while in recovery from acute strokes. These patients had all lost some sort of language function as a result of their stroke. Patients were followed up with three months after the study ended to check on results at that point, too.
They found that listening to vocal music during recovery was the most effective when it came to recovering speech. They believe that it helped with recovery of the language network within the brain. It’s one of the first times that the benefits of vocal music on language recovery after a stroke has been demonstrated in a controlled experimental setting.
If your loved one has had a stroke, it’s really important to work with a doctor and follow their recommendations. Music might be helpful, but it needs to be done in conjunction with other treatments and therapies. It’s just one of many tools that can be used in the long road to recovery after a stroke occurs.
As of right now, researchers are not a hundred percent sure just why this happens. Hopefully, this phenomenon can be better understood in the future and it can be used to help doctors and scientists better treat those that are recovering from a stroke.
Regardless of what other treatments are tried, the road to recovery after a stroke can be long, painful, and frustrating. Even minor strokes can take years to recover from. Some people never fully get back to where they once were. Strokes can make every day tasks that were once second nature difficult, or even impossible. It’s hard on the people that suffer from the stroke, and it’s hard for the people that love them and watch them struggle. A health event like this takes a toll on the whole family.
Professional senior care is designed to reduce the amount of stress that a family feels when a loved one needs help. Many families want to provide senior care on their own–and in a lot of cases, that’s completely fine. But when someone has more severe needs, this isn’t realistic or safe. Sometimes, greater help is needed. There’s nothing wrong with this–we aren’t always able to do everything on our own. That’s why professionals exist.
If your current senior care is causing more stress than help, it’s time to think about finding a solution that works. Give us a call, we’d love to help. Even if it’s just a short phone conversation to get you pointed in the right direction, one of our caregivers would be honored to help steer your family toward a senior care solution that works for your unique set of needs. Give us a call to get started.
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