Music in old people’s homes or TV depiction therein.

When I was in hospital last September/October they played pop music in the ward non-stop from 8 a.m. It wasn’t loud, but it drove me absolutely crazy and I’m sure it didn’t help my recovery. To me there is no such thing as background music - you either listen or you don’t. It was hideously intrusive. We shouldn’t have to listen to any music we haven’t chosen, at any stage in life.

If dementia is involved, way-back music may be better, since newer memories are so often lost. But of course a lot will depend on the age of the person.

I once helped to play a dementia-specific ‘musical bingo’ game with residents at my mother’s (dementia) care home. Extracts of different, very well known songs were played, and they each had a large board with names of the songs and counters. It went down very well, they all seemed to recognise the songs - there were the likes of Daisy, Daisy, and very familiar hymn tunes, too.
Sadly my mother was by then well past being able to enjoy or join in any such thing.

I have enjoyed reading this thread, moving to a care home is something we all face. I've decided that all I would really want is a good view of something, anything but of traffic!

Daddima , thanks for the link . I’m very interested in the good effects of music on the brain in cases of dementia and Alzheimer’s, having attended a brilliant one day demonstration course for prospective music group leaders .

It very much depends on WHY you are in a care home. If it is because you are physically disabled but still have all your wits about you then you should be able to make your personal preferences known . If however, you have Dementia - as the majority of Care Home residents do nowadays - then you will probably have forgotten what your preferences were. DH will often tell me that he has already had lunch and it was his favourite, when in fact it is 11am and he has his mid-morning cup of tea and a biscuit.

Extensive research has shown that music has the power to sooth and calm people with dementia. And that music resides in a different part of the brain from memory and cognition - a part which is seldom damaged by the various types of dementia. Therefore, the ability to recognise tunes and remember the words to songs remains intact. This is why DH can still play his drums which gives him great pleasure and a sense of satisfaction.

His Care Home has regular singalong sessions and Name that tune or singer quizes. Not all residents join in but those that do really enjoy it. One Sunday when I popped in they were singing old hymns with great gusto and even I, with no church connections, joined in, word perfect, having learnt these at school more than 50 years ago.

Curvygran, my friend is involved with an organisation called www.playlistforlife.org.uk, which has had good results with people with dementia. I made one for the Bodach, but he couldn’t operate the ipod, so we played it on my tablet. It did seem to help him.

I like a wide range of music. When FiL was in hospital they had a room where ambulant patients were taken to get them out of the ward - tea, cake - and wartime songs! I knew most of the music and was OK with it for short periods. Days of Vera Lynn in a care home would drive me scatty.

To be honest, though, ANY music that was played non-stop would drive me scatty. We have plenty of CDs but seldom play them even though we love the music. We prefer to be quiet, perhaps listening to the birds singing or just enjoying the peace. Why is it necessary to have somesort of noise going on all the time? Care homes perhaps need quiet spaces as well as television and music-playing areas.

M0nica what a brilliant idea!!! I have several things i would add to my care plan as well as the type of music i like, audio books i would enjoy hearing and personal things i would want done as well. I have a horror of being in hospital and my glasses, hearing aids and partial denture going astray!!!! I shall make sure i do one of these and leave with a family member just incase.

I wouldn't worry as (even assuming the crumbling, failing, reducing care home market is propped up) most of us won't inhabit one.

If we were to find ourselves in that awful situation, we'd be allowed our own music, headphones and laptop!

I’d prefer a bit of Lewis Capaldi, personally.

I’m in a lovely hotel at the moment, having breakfast. DH has just said you can tell the age group of most of the clientele by the fact that they’re playing Lucky Lips in the background.

MY mum who was born in the 30's, and now passed, loved Tom Jones, Jim reeves, The searchers, Bobby Darin.., Everly Brothers, et al...

She would be horrified to find herself in a home having to listen to endless renditions of white cliffs of Dover,, and it's a long way to Tipperary.

I'm in my early 60's and
I hope if I ever end up in a home they play Slade, Sweet, David Essex, James Taylor, Carly simon, David Cassidy, Mud, 10cc, Status Quo T. rex, , and lots of 60's music, because that was my era...

I'll request my own personal lounge.

trance or dubstep
I'm out of the loop with those.
Please don't request them if you're in the next chair to me.

I'll just play Bunk Johnson a bit louder.

Well, my taste has broadened as I've got older, so... sometimes punk, sometimes trance or dubstep, sometimes The Carpenters, sometimes 60s or 70s music.
Sometimes just blissful silence.

And Tom Lehrer

Bunk Johnson

Artdecogran, I found it difficult to answer as the question has assumptions that I believe are incorrect. I'd say most residents are into their 80s, so born in the 1930s. They'd have listened to 1940-50s music in their youth. They might not enjoy the same in their later years, though!

There should be a legal minimum staff to resident ratio of night staff. Elderly people don't necessarily sleep at night - we just pretend they do!

Err can we get back to the thread please, which is the music we would listen to.

It's such a shame that staffing is so paltry for homes.
It's all those little things that make such a difference to someone's quality of life.

The only thing I can say is to challenge, request, and generally make a nuisance of yourself if your loved one is in a home and it isn't meeting its own advertised standards.

That Hetty is far worse than any problem my uncle had.

MOnica, my mother was wheelchair-bound but continent. She spent hours on end waiting to be taken for a pee!

I know what you mean Hetty. My uncle was in an almost entirely satisfactory, but not luxury care home. He was an extreme lark. Awake and ready for the day at 4.30 and asleep by 8.00.

When he woke he was acustomed to starting the day with a cup of tea and when he was first in the home, it was accepted that he went into the kitchen and made one, they would leave a tray and the makings out for him. He did not suffer from any mental and few physical problems.

The home changed hands and the new owners banned him from ever entering the kitchen. He had to wait four hours until 8.30 to get his first hot drink of the day, or any drink other than water.

Yes, MissAdventure, they all say that in their brochures - but in reality they're all too short staffed to offer individual service.

Their night time staff levels are ridiculous. For night owls, there's no choice but sitting in bed with a book or radio for eight hours!