Monthly Archives: October 2024

October 28, 2024 · 8:00 am

Which songs will be on your end-of-life playlist?

What songs would you like to listen to as you depart this world. Marie Curie conducted research on this intriguing topic and compiled a list of the most popular songs for those at the end of life, The Guardian reported. Familiar favorites like Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” and “Hey Jude” by the Beatles made the top 10 list, as did a couple of perhaps more surprising selections: “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper and “The Best” by Tina Turner. Check out the complete top 10 list and learn more about the study on Marie Curie’s website and listen to the playlist on Spotify.

Music therapy can have a profound and positive impact at the end of life, as well as for those with conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. The Marie Curie study found that playing music had a calming effect for the vast majority of those in end of life care.

Music is a personal passion for many people, whether they play instruments or are devoted fans to particular artists and bands. There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to selecting favorite songs for an end of life playlist. Some may choose soothing music, others may want to rock out to their favorite songs that remind them of happy times in their life. I remember having a brief hospice consultation when my father was in the hospital at the end of his life. Sadly there was no room in the inpatient hospice unit for him, but I remember the counselor asking about Dad’s favorite music. That was easy to answer. Dad’s playlist would have included Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and at least one rendition of “Danny Boy.”

When my mother was dying at home, I played her favorite music. Mom had fairly eclectic tastes, but she was most fond of classic country such as Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, and Glen Campbell. But when my mother took her last breath, she departed on an upbeat tune by Trini Lopez, which matched Mom’s personality quite well.

I also have eclectic tastes in music so my playlist would include selections from Eva Cassidy, the McGarrigle Sisters, Gillian Welch, a mix of classic country and 1980s-1990s alternative rock, along with bluegrass and Celtic instrumentals.

What music would you include in your end of life playlist?

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October 21, 2024 · 8:00 am

A growing number of older women are living with dementia on their own

A recent article in The Washington Post discussed a growing and concerning trend: women who live alone and have dementia. Women tend to live longer than men and have a greater chance of developing dementia, so this trend is not surprising, but raising awareness may help communities better serve this aging in place population who have specialized needs.

As someone who is kinless and divorced, with dementia on both sides of my family tree, I think about this scenario often. For now, I’m focused on maintaining good overall health while I consider for my future living arrangements a planned community that intentionally accounts for the needs of their elder population. Things like providing rides to doctor’s appointments or for grocery shopping and offering lawncare and home repair services can help support an elder in the earlier stages of dementia who is living on their own. Making professional services such as financial and legal advisors is also beneficial. One of the most important tasks is one of the most simple: checking in on neighbors with dementia who are on their own to reduce isolation and as a way to ensure someone who needs a higher level of care receives it.

For long-distance caregivers, one challenge is encouraging your elder loved ones to take advantage of resources in their community. After my father died, my mother was very lonely, yet she shunned the social groups at the community senior center. I felt helpless in trying to aid in this situation. My mother didn’t have dementia, which can create an additional layer of resistance.

Here are resources for those with dementia who live alone:

The Alzheimer’s Association: If you live alone

National Institute on Aging: Tips for Living Alone With Early-Stage Dementia

Alzheimer’s Society: Living alone as a person with dementia

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October 14, 2024 · 8:00 am

Caregivers in the election spotlight again

When younger, I was a sporadic voter and I still maintain skepticism when it comes to viable government solutions to the major issues impacting our country. As this article from The 19th points out, I’m not the only caregiver who has felt abandoned by lawmakers.

Recently, both the Democrat and Republican presidential candidates offered their plans on how to better support caregivers. As we know from past elections, candidates offer many plans that sound good, but once in office, those plans are often derailed by Congress and/or the courts. Funding for programs supporting caregivers, from childcare to eldercare, always faces an uphill battle.

If the toxic political atmosphere has you feeling down, one empowering action you can take is by helping older folks and disabled people exercise their right to vote.

I’ll also be voting in honor of my former colleague, who died last month. She so wanted to live until the election, and spent the last month of her life working on a plan to be able to vote. It’s an important reminder to not take the right to vote for granted.

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October 7, 2024 · 8:00 am

Can a light and sound show for the brain treat cognitive decline?

An article published by Nature recently caught my eye. Instead of medication, a non-invasive treatment called “gamma frequency stimulation” has shown some promise in curbing further cognitive decline in those in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, according to early clinical trial study results.

The method may sound dubious at first but the science behind it is interesting. Researchers have discovered that in addition to amyloid and tau protein accumulation, gamma frequency oscillations in the brain occur at a reduced rate in those with Alzheimer’s. Could gamma stimulation boost frequency, reduce amyloid and tau amounts and preserve or improve cognitive functioning?

Mouse models were promising and so are the initial findings of a randomized controlled trial, which found that the “daily use of 40Hz light and sound devices in patients with probable mild AD revealed preserved brain volume, improved memory, and stabilized sleep circadian rhythms.” A longer 30-month extension of this trial found that “patients showed surprising cognitive stability” even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Other trials both at the academic and industry level have reported similar results.

What does the patient have to do to receive such treatment? One product requires a person to wear a special headset and glasses for an hour each day which produces rhythmic clicking and flashing lights that repeat 40 times a second. Another product comes in the form of a specialized light box. Researchers are attempting to make the light flicker and clicking sounds required for the gamma stimulation treatment more tolerable to users by incorporating music into some devices.

Gamma stimulation is not without health risks, especially for those prone to seizures. More research is needed and those interested should be wary of vendors selling expensive machines to consumers that have not been approved for treatment. I’ll be following developments in this trial as I’m all for effective at-home treatments that don’t require pricey medication that can come with a host of serious side effects.

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