FEBRUARY 2018

LOVE and CHERISH one another with Music!

Hello! This issue of Health Beat is being sent to you courtesy of Becky Watson, Owner of Music for Wellness, Enriching the Mind, Body and Spirit with MUSIC! It is our way of saying that you are important to us and we truly value serving you. Please feel free to pass this newsletter on to friends and neighbors. Enjoy!

Famous Quotes Every child is an artist; the problem is staying an artist when you grow up. —Pablo Picasso

“Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (John 13:34). This bible verse shows God’s true appreciation of how much God loves the person as an individual—as well as the person's willingness to serve the neighbor. Music is a powerful way to connect and express our love for individuals living with dementia by being in the present moment and sharing human contact. Music is also a social tool where everyone enjoys the time together. Smiles are shared and hands are held. This creates a bonding situation where friendships are kindled. As the course of dementia progresses, people and places may be become difficult for someone to recognize; however, a familiar song is like gold! Sing it, play it on headphones, pipe it through speakers, sing, dance, sway, or hold hands—and reminisce. Repetition is key as well. Music is also an emotionally rewarding stimulus and experience for most people.

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Intergenerational Music Therapy Program Our Saviour’s Evangelical Lutheran Church

It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation. —Herman Melville To have success, you can’t let failure stop you. To have great success, you can’t let success stop you. —Robert Brault Success is more permanent when you achieve it without destroying your principles. —Walter Cronkite I’ve got a theory that if you give 100 % all of the time, somehow things will work out in the end. —Larry Bird

Pictured Above: Let it SNOW, Let it SNOW, Let is SNOW! The Senior Champions of Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church and 3 – 6 year old preschoolers of the family focus shared smiles, energy, bonding and teamwork while ringing in the New Year SNOW Intergenerational Music Therapy session.

Words from Our Participants We are so fortunate to have the best participants in the world! Many of them tell us how much they enjoyed Music Wellness programs for older adults.

“Becky, your smiles, energy and music bring so much JOY to our residents! Thank you!” - Stephanie, Suffolk, VA

LOVE and CHERISH one another with Music!

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It is important to remember to use the music that the individual living dementia prefers because the music is not related to loss of short-term memory, but to the emotional system. This is an area of the brain that stays intact and will always love our music no matter how advanced our dementia. Music may be associated with some of our most cherished memories such as the song at your wedding, hymns sung at a place of worship, or the sounds of the holidays. These memories, positive or negative, may trigger emotions and require knowledge of the musical experiences of that person. One of my favorite songs to use during the month of February is: “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” by Leo Friedman, lyrics Beth Slater Whitson.

Pictured above: Recruiting with Mike and Karen Rieger for Christ Renews HIs Parish (CRHP) WELCOME Renewal Weekend at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church, VB

What’s Becky up to: Feb 1: Westminster Canterbury Chesapeake and Hoy Health Center, VB Feb 2: Maryview Nursing Center, Suffolk Feb 2, 15:

Village at Woods Edge, Franklin

Feb 3,12, 19, 26: Wburg Pavilion (Gero) Feb 5: Spring Arbor Memory Care Wbug Feb 5: ODU Musician’s Health, Discover your Personal Rhythm, Norfolk

Let me call you sweetheart (name) I'm in love with you Let me hear you whisper That you love me too Keep the love light glowing In your eyes so true (eye color) Let me call you sweetheart (name) I'm in love with you To personalize this song, insert their name in place of sweetheart and actual eye color. Hold hands, gentle fist pumps, look into the eyes, blink wink, raise eye brows, and smile. The waltz tempo invites swaying movement, tapping toes, swaying arms and hands, or waving red, pink and white scarves to resemble hearts If you would like to learn more on how we can help you “share LOVELY moments and empower your loved one with music,” please contact me at: [email protected]

Feb 6, 7, 27, 28: Adult Day Care, Innovative Senior Champion Prog, Wburg Feb 6: Harbor’s Edge independent Living, Boost Brain Power through Rhythm, Norf Feb 7: Warwick Forest Asst & Memory, NN Feb 12: Harbor’s Edge Memory, Norfolk Feb 13: Beth Sholom Village MEU, VB Feb 13: Province Place@ DePaul, Norfolk Feb 15: VSO Generations in Unison, Beth Sholom, Virginia Beach Feb 17-18: Christ Renews His Parish Renewal Weekend, St. Gregory Church, VB Feb 20: Wburg United Methodist Respite Feb 22-23: Teepa Snow Dementia Consulting Certification, Atlanta, GA Feb 24-25: Living Everyday with Passion & Purpose, Matthew Kelly, Memphis, TN

Learn how to “connect and engage” through positive approach and rhythm … email: [email protected]

Can Beet Juice Keep Your Brain Young? Beet juice may keep your brain young and fit, according to an article on the Runner’s World website. The article cites a study reported in the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences that found that a shot of beet juice an hour before exercise can have positive benefits to brains as they get older. In the study, 26 sedentary men with an average age of 65 participated in six weeks of exercise. Some took daily shots of beet juice; others received a placebo. The participants walked on a treadmill three times a week for six weeks, building up to 50 minutes per session at increased effort. Comparing MRIs from before and after the trial, researchers found that the group that drank beet juice had significantly higher levels of “community consistency” within their brains. The nitrate in beet juice, which converts to nitrite and then nitric oxide in the blood, has a strong positive effect on responsiveness in blood vessels, which in turn can increase the amount of oxygen reaching the brain and boost aspects of cognitive function.

Music for Wellness creates music products and programs to enhance the quality of life in supporting the health and wellbeing of veterans, community heroes and retirees. We strongly believe our mind, body, and spirit can be enriched with MUSIC!

Some of the Services We Offer … •

Evidenced Based Music Therapy Programs & Research

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Teepa Snow‘s Positive Approach to Care ® Staff Training

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Energizing In-service & Professional Development

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Interactive/Engaging Key Note Speaker

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Group Music Wellness Empowered Rhythm Events

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Private Piano for Wellness Sessions for Older Adults

Tell a friend! A referral from one of our satisfied clients is the greatest compliment we can receive, and we have a unique (and generous!) way of saying thank you! Please call us for details! We are eco-friendly...if you would like to receive the Health Beat Newsletter in electronic form (to be taken off printed copy), please send us an email.

Email: [email protected] Phone: (757) 563-3488 Discover YOUR Gifts to SERVE Others

Days of Interest Black History Month. This monthlong celebration of the accomplishments of African Americans throughout history began in the early 20th century as a result of the efforts of Dr. Carter G. Woodson and the organization he founded, The Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Creative Romance Month. Not big on candy and flowers? Plan the perfect rendezvous with your valentine. Consider an overnight stay at a bed and breakfast, a day hike at a scenic location, or a romantic movie marathon. Let love inspire your imagination to express what’s in your heart. Great American Pie Month. What better way to spread love and happiness than with a freshly baked pie? It doesn’t matter if it’s sweet or savory. If February has you snowed in, you’ve got plenty of time to perfect your crustmaking and lattice-weaving skills. National Cherry Month. Because every day is a good day to enjoy cherries, we celebrate this fruit in the winter while we anticipate the blossoms of the spring and the coming summer harvest. Hint: Cherries are great in pies. National “Wear Red” Day for Women’s Heart Health, Feb. 5. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in United States. Raise awareness of heart health issues and disease prevention by wearing something red on this day. Valentine's Day, Feb 14. Also called Saint Valentine's Day is and originated as West-

Music for Wellness, LLC Becky Watson, MBA, MT-BC P.O. Box 9372 Norfolk, VA 23505 Website: music4wellness.net [email protected] (757) 563-3488

Good news and information for the friends and clients of Music for Wellness, LLC

Becky’s Key Notes The month of January was celebrated by Ringing in the New Year with Jingle Bells, Snowy Songs, and Taking Good Care of Yourselves by “Button Up your Overcoat” and “Baby It’s Cold Outside” and “Let it Snow.” We also facilitated a HealthRHYTHMS group program for Seniors and Law Enforcement Together (SALT) to share the wellness benefits through group empowerment drumming. We are excited to offer Positive Approach to Care staff development training to the Virginia Symphony Generations in Unison music therapy inspired program for memory care communities. Rod is the Chair for SCORE and making progress reaching out to local executive and prospective mentors. His business is flourishing watsonmarketingSolutions.com. Andrew is doing well as JMU and Jessica is a thriving 8th grader at Christ the King Catholic School and enjoys basketball as Dad being the Head Coach … Go Lady Cougars!

Interested in Group Empowerment Drumming?

Contact us immediately for a trial demonstration for your group event, conference, retreat, meeting, etc… we will customize a group drumming program tailored to meet your needs, your satisfaction guaranteed. (757) 563-3488

Email: [email protected]

COPYRIGHT 2018

DESIGNED BY: MUSIC4WELLNESS, LLC

February 2018

Improving Your Vision Vision changes naturally occur as people get older, but there are some things that can be done in order that vision does not worsen at an alarming speed. One of the easiest tips to follow is simply to go outside more often. Eyes need healthy blood vessels and oxygen in order to ensure proper vision and regular exercise outdoors is a great ways to maintain both the health of your blood vessels and the oxygen intake of your eyes. It is also important to maintain healthy glucose and blood pressure levels. The main causes of blindness within the United States are diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration, both of which are closely connected with diabetes and hypertension. Controlling both factors can be a big help in regard to protecting your sight. Eating a lot of vegetables and fruits benefits the eyes as well as other areas of your health as they contain vitamins and nutrients that are vital to the feeding and nourishment of the eyes. Eat a wide array of different fruits and vegetables to assist you to maintain good vision. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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