Musicals

Grandma loved seeing me perform in Suessical! Seeing a musical is a wonderful pastime. The musical Suessical did have a real story to follow, instead it had lots of singing and dancing based on Dr. Suess books. My advice: take a loved one with AD to see a musical. Pick one that has happy, cheerful songs, without a complicated story to follow. There was a four month U.S. study in 2013. Scientists played 50 minutes of show tunes for seniors with Alzheimer's disease. The musical tunes improved the mood, and there was an increase in mental performance! Another study in Finland showed that watching and singing songs from musicals can increase mental performance! My mom helped me find the studies! For more details about the study click here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24009169

Tips

1. Bring your loved one to see a musical
2. Pick a show that has a happy theme
3. Pick a well-known show that your loved one may have already viewed
4. Take your loved one to a local school which offers musicals 
5. Take your loved one to a community theatre show
6. Get a song book or print up lyrics to show tunes
7. Spend some time each day, singing a favorite song from a Broadway show
8. Listen to a soundtrack from a broadway show, together.
9. Some suggestions for Broadway shows: The Sound of Music, 42nd Street, Oklahoma, Gypsy, On The Town, Ragtime, Guys and Dolls, Showboat, Fiddler on the Roof, My Fair Lady, Cabaret, Man of La Mancha, South Pacific, Mary Poppins, The Music Man, Shenandoah, Damn Yankees! The Wizard of Oz