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Can music help aggressive behavior in a person with Alzheimer’s Disease? It depends. The disease progresses a little differently for everyone…some persons become agitated, and that agitation can lead to aggression. Others may never show any signs of aggression throughout the course of the disease.

Music is the “universal language” and can continue to many areas of therapeutic intervention. Most individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease respond well to music. Their responses may depend on the type of music. There is a commonly-held belief that this population will only like “old” music, music from their era. However, any music from the time they were born is now from their era. One downfall we have when working with individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease, or the older population in general, is that we tend to limit their possibilities.

If your loved one is agitated and you try playing music they once enjoyed but it’s not helping, try a different kind of music. Some music, even classical, can be very “busy” and can tend to overstimulate persons with dementia and cause more anxiety or agitation. If they feel overstimulated and become extremely agitated, they may become aggressive and lash out as a response. They can’t always tell you how they are feeling, so they lash out instead.

White noise is often calming to a person with Alzheimer’s Disease. Actual white noise machines can be purchased, but an example of this is the noise a fan makes. Just running a fan may help them to relax. Another example is a water fountain .You may try one of these types of noise to help calm your loved one. There are CDs or cassette tapes that you can purchase with calming noises such as the ocean, birds, and wind. Once again, the birds can be over-stimulating, so if you notice your loved one becoming increasingly agitated, turn it off. Sometimes those with Alzheimer’s need complete silence, so when all else has failed, just try a quiet room!

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