Boogie Man

Nick Kazuska is a boogie man. That’s boogie with an “ie,” not a “y.” At 104 he’s a talented musician who plays the bass, drums, and banjo. He still plays with a band on occasion. He also gets up to dance with his 95-year-old wife, Helen. Nick has clearly still got the music in him.

His wife credits his longevity to her healthy home cooking. However, Nick says he doesn’t have an answer to how or why he’s experiencing such healthy longevity. His hope is to live to 105. But according to his son Patrick, based on Nick’s health he will likely live past that. And why not? He’s found his ideal 100 Year Lifestyle and is enjoying every minute of it.

While Nick stays up to date with technology, managing on his own with his phone and iPad, it’s clearly the music that is keeping him young. Playing music is a creative outlet that involves physical activity, is mentally engaging, and Nick uses it to bring joy not only to himself but to others. Nick is clearly onto something. Today research has shown that engaging with music shows improvement in a variety of cognitive functions, including memory, attention, and language skills. Both soothing rhythms and harmonious melodies have been found to lead to these cognitive improvements. And while it’s long been known that music reduces stress and enhances relaxation, it is fairly recently that it has been studied for it role in pain management.