Cultural activities stimulate brain and memory in elderly

Cultural activities such as watching soap operas, listening to music from one's youth, or attending theater performances provide significant cognitive and social benefits for the elderly. According to specialists, these experiences stimulate various areas of the brain simultaneously by requiring individuals to follow narratives, recognize characters, and interpret emotions.

Isabela Oliveira Azevedo Trindade, president of the Gerontology Department of the Brazilian Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology (SBGG), notes that music can specifically mobilize memory, emotion, attention, and motor responses. Furthermore, artistic experiences can trigger autobiographical memories. In some cases of dementia, musical memories may remain relatively preserved even when other cognitive abilities are compromised.