Recreational activities for the elderly are not limited to playing mahjong, drinking tea or hiking. A nursing home in Japan recently transformed into a disco, with residents and caregivers dancing to classic songs. This innovative residential activity not only simply provides entertainment for the elderly, but also has the benefits of exercising, preventing dementia, and promoting health and longevity.
A nursing home in Japan organizes a nostalgic hit night and turns into a DJ to get residents dancing
According to Japanese media《FNN》According to reports, a nursing home in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan recently held a nostalgic golden music night. About 120 residents and local residents participated in the night. The atmosphere was warm and the usually quiet hall of the nursing home was transformed into a lively disco ballroom. The DJ played a number of classic old songs one after another, including “Dancing Queen” by ABBA, “Beat It” by Michael Jackson, “Livin’ on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi, “Young Man” by Hideki Saijo, “Younger Boy” by Candy Choir, etc. With the lighting effects, all the participants danced to the music and waved glow sticks enthusiastically.
This event aroused the energy of many residents. “It’s great! I hope it can be held every year. I also danced when I was a child.” “It feels like I’m in heaven. I want to keep playing like this. I’m 96 and will soon be 97, so I can live longer.”
Helping the elderly stay in shape and prevent brain degeneration
This event was planned by “DJ GEN”, a DJ and caregiver from Yamanashi Prefecture, aiming to promote the physical and mental health of the elderly through music. He believes that this kind of music experience has a positive impact on the body and mind. It can not only improve mood, but also help maintain muscle strength by moving the body to strong beats. Listening to nostalgic songs can also help prevent dementia. “DJ GEN” holds such music events in nursing homes across Japan from time to time, hoping to continue to provide support to the elderly by promoting music experience. He said that in the past, entertainment activities in nursing homes were mainly karaoke and floor ball, but as times change, nursing staff also need to adapt to these changes, and hope to add more activities for the elderly to choose from.
Why listening to music and watching performances is good for your physical and mental health and helps extend your life?
In fact, many scientific studies have proven the benefits of listening to music and watching live performances on health and longevity. For example, a study jointly conducted by the British telecommunications company O2 and Goldsmiths, University of London found that enjoying a 20-minute live performance increased the happiness of participants by 21%, which helped to improve self-worth and interpersonal connections, combat loneliness, and achieve a higher happiness than practicing yoga or walking a dog. If you can attend a concert every two weeks, such a high frequency of happiness stimulation may help extend your life by up to 9 years.
There is also the famous experiment “Counterclockwise Study” conducted by Dr. Ellen J. Langer, professor of psychology at Harvard University. A group of elderly people in their 70s lived in a “time room”. The room decoration, the music played, the newspapers placed, and the chat topics were all the same as 20 years ago. Not only did the elderly’s hand flexibility and body posture improve in 5 days, but their vision and hearing also improved significantly, proving that “mindset” has a positive impact on anti-aging.
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date:2026-02-11 12:30:00
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