Music has been shown to improve agitation and behavioural difficulties in dementia patients. Even in their latter phases, people might tap a rhythm or sing a melody from infancy. Listening to soft, classical music can help cognition. Music activates centres in the brain through shared neural systems. The American Musical Therapy Association also wrote in 2018 about the relationship between clinical music therapy and older adults living with dementia.
What is The Purpose of Music Therapy?
These are the purposes of music therapy:
- Meaningful engagement
- Help daily living
- Communication and self-expression through singing and making music
- Improve mood
- Increase energy
- Physical movement during music
- Decrease stress and agitation during the pleasure of music
How Does Music Therapy Work For Dementia Patients?
Music therapists work as part of the team. They plan long and short-term goals for their clients.
Those goals work on interaction, transitions, and physical activities. Most people react positively to music. All sections of brain tissue are activated by music in both receptive and expressive musical activity. The memory of music is stored in the brain, and people in advanced stages can still restore those memories. Also, music enhances the utilization of neuron connections in the brain. It maximizes these functions but cannot reverse the cognitive loss.
What Are The Effects of Music Therapy?
It is important to use music that people enjoy. Therapists must always be aware of the volume,
watch non-verbal responses, and evaluate interactions with their clients. Recent research on non-pharmacological interventions like music therapy can promote well-being for people with dementia. Studies have shown the effects of music:
- Increased alertness
- Better Recall
- Less anxiety
- Meaningful socialization
- Better sleep
- Less caregiver stress
Do Researchers Approve of Music Therapy?
Recent research on non-pharmacological interventions like music therapy can promote well-being for people with dementia. Scott Horowitz, a music therapist and professor at Drexel University, stated that “sensory experiences are connected with memories. In addition, if people have cognitive impairment, those associations remain even if parts of their memory are impacted. If you play a piece of music that is memorable to that person, then that memory will be impacted.”
Furthermore, a clinical psychologist, Dr Bethany Cook, said,” Use music that they listened to between the ages of 7 to 25. These songs are locked into more bottomless vaults that dementia doesn’t thoroughly crush.” Steve Horowitz also underwent a 12-week technique known as Musical Bridges To Memory (MBM).
How do Caregivers Give Music Therapy?
Caregivers were trained, and they held 45-minute concerts and breakout sessions
afterwards. However, the researchers had follow-up assessments, evaluated behaviour, and got
feedback from caregivers. They found that the participants had better eye contact with
caregivers, calmer, and focused better. Of course, the caregivers were helped by better
connections with their loved ones. The stress levels were significantly reduced for the caregivers.
Moreover, at Northwestern University, there is a 3-year grant through the National Endowment Of The Arts (NEA) to use a larger group of patients. They will look for measurements to confirm biological and psychological effects on patients and caregivers. Thus, this study will hopefully be an essential part of the care of older adults.
Conclusion
All studies of music that are impacting dementia patients well being are in progress. All of these studies hope for future positive outcomes for both patients and caregivers. Therefore, researchers hope that music therapy will become an important resource for dementia and memory care.