Alzheimer's Musical Therapy

Today, the treatment of dementia is based on psychotropic medications, which come with many side effects and adverse reactions. Medication can be beneficial in many cases, but too often with dementia patients it is used to treat a symptom. In this type of situation it is important to balance the old symptoms with the new symptoms and risks of the medication being used, and decide for whose benefit the medication is being administered. There is a wide-range of non-pharmacologic interventions that have been considered for treatment of dementia. The most effective intervention has been environment modification, which has shown to enhance functional abilities of the patient (Sung, Lee, Chang & Smith, 2011). In long-term facilities this includes incorporating familiar items from home to familiarize a new environment, in order to reduce anxiety, and promote relaxation. One of the most frequently researched interventions is the use of music as an environmental modifier, and it has shown management of behavioral problems (Sung, Lee, Chang & Smith, 2011). It is a very significant finding, considering the fact that music has no known side effects (Wall and Duffy, 2010).

Following the developing of social sciences, everybody has started to get concerned about the issue if music is good for healthy body and mental recently. This phenomenon makes the music therapy becomes popular. Music therapy is defined as “ the therapeutic use of music as to reduce anxiety, improve cognitive functioning, promote physical rehabilitation, or enhance interpersonal communication that typically involves listening to music, singing, playing musical instruments, or composing music “ in the Merriam-Webster.com. In other words, through the activity of music people can improve physical or psychological disease that achieves cure and health.

There are many different ways that we benefit from music. Music can inspire better self-esteem, and confidence. It’s a great way to set the mood, and a wonderful tool. Music therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program (Gram, 2005). Music therapy can reach out to anyone, age, race, gender it doesn’t matter. Children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly with mental health needs can benefit from music therapy. As well as, those who have developmental and learning disabilities, those who suffer from Alzheimer's

Dementia is the loss of cognition function. This condition is rapidly becoming a huge challenge as well a leading cause of mortality and morbidity of the 21st century, especially in the western world, and the current prediction rates of dementia indicate that it will worsen. The numbers of the individuals affected by the condition is anticipated to rise due to the ever expanding older population. Despite the menace of this condition, the power of music, particularly in singing to jerk or unlock past memories and kick start the grey matter of the brain is an incredible feature of dementia care. Using music seems to reach parts of the damaged patient’s brain in unique ways that other means cannot (Geretsegger et al. (2014). In senior adults with dementia, Alzheimer’s, and other mental disorders, music therapy has shown capability of reducing agitated or aggressive behavior, improve cooperation with day-to-day activities such as bathing, improved mood, and reduce symptoms of dementia. Besides, music therapy can reduce the

In this research paper, the effectiveness of music therapy on the cognitive degenerative disorder of dementia will be evaluated. To support the contention that music therapy is effective in treating the symptoms of dementia, research documenting this therapy’s impact on memory, emotions, and behavior will be examined. In order to provide a greater understanding of music therapy and dementia, these terms will be defined. Second, research will be examined to determine music therapy’s impact on the psychological and behavioral issues associated with dementia. Finally, a summary of music therapy’s benefits and an evaluation of its effectiveness in treating individuals afflicted with dementia will be discussed.

The last technique of MT for dementia is combining music with activities. There are many more additional studies using MT which includes not only just melody but also with other activities like dancing, rhythmic movements, singing, playing instruments and more. Gómez-Gallego M and his colleagues asked forty-two minor to moderate AD to not only listen to the music they enjoy but also to dance, greet, play instruments and go on. The outcome of six-week intervention indicated that music with other activities could improve the cognitive status and alleviates neuropsychiatric symptoms of AD patients

For dementia patients, music from a person’s childhood or young adult years has proven to be effective in obtaining a positive response and involvement (and this happens even when the patient can no longer communicate). Music has been shown to help seniors process their thoughts and recall/maintain

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve observed people playing music around me. My family is musically inclined, which I believe is the reason I’ve been drawn to it. In 2006, I began taking guitar lessons but I never had much interest in playing. Things changed in 2009, and I wished to be different. I wanted to be good at something so I began to teach myself guitar and have stuck with the guitar until now. In 2010, I began to play on my church’s worship team and I enjoyed it very much. I have now been a worship leader for the past four years and it’s something I love to do. I love it so much that for the past two years I have gone to Camp Electric to

Dementia is an extremely common disease among the elderly, with 4 million Americans currently suffering from the Alzheimer’s type alone. Figures show that 3% of people between the ages of 65-74 suffer from the disease, rapidly increasing to 19% for the 75-84 age bracket, and as high as 47% for the over 85s. Therefore, it is easy to see why Dementia is such a large part of many people’s lives, whether they are suffering from the condition themselves, or have an elderly relative who requires full time care just to undertake simple day to day tasks. The disease can be extremely traumatic for the patient and their families, as the person, who may have been extremely lively and bright throughout their

In the article “Dementia and the Power of Music Therapy” by Steve Matthews, argues that music therapy has positive effects on dementia, in terms of non-pharmacological treatment, inexpensive in health budgets, and neurocognitive benefits for patients. Matthews starts off the article by describing current tendency of dementia in western nation. He mentions that dementia is one of fast increasing disease in United States, Canada, UK, Europe, and Australia. Additionally, Australian government’s investment for dementia raised up to third highest in national health budgets, in the wake of cardiovascular disease and cancer (Matthews 2015). Following that, there is need for music therapy as an alternative approach in order to treat dementia.

Along with varying music to achieve different beneficial results from Alzheimer’s patients, there are many different activities that can help engage and improve the mental state of patients with Alzheimer’s from the early stages of the disease’s

Imagine having a stressful day at work and going out to the vehicle and not having any sound. Try to envision what life would be like not knowing what music was or how it sounded. Music has its way of connecting with people mentally, physically, and emotionally. Some people may question why music is so memorable, powerful, and emotional. Many people have songs that remind them of things such as relationships, break-ups, or sadly a death, and many more things. Music has been around for many centuries, but what people may not know is that music can help with one’s health (Music on the Brain). Something that many people may not know is that music connects with people who have dementia and Alzheimer’s disease as well. Music therapy leads to a positive effect on patients because it sparks one’s memory, makes one’s mood change, and it helps a person’s quality of life.

Music can play an important role in Alzheimer's care. Read on to find out three ways it can help:

Henry’s story did not involve the use of music therapy as no music therapist was present. According to the American Music Therapy Association, music therapy involves science backed techniques practiced by licensed professionals with at least a bachelor’s degrees in music therapy and 1200 hours of separate training(2014). Music therapists may implement a variety of different techniques to treat a patient, but the term “music therapist” only applies to board certified clinicians. In other words, the proverbial well-meaning group of teenagers with guitars are not conducting music therapy during their interactions with patients. However, mere exposure to music has a host of medically pertinent benefits and therefore is worth evaluating when discussing possible Alzheimer’s treatments ( Novotney,

Aside from emotions, music can also have an impact on mental illnesses like ADHD, depression, and dementia. To combat depression, Cadena states that “music therapy alleviates pain and promotes calmness by slowing the heart rate and other bodily functions” (2). It provides the patient with a means of escape from the stressful and painful ordeals of life, and can even encourage them to recover from depression. To help children with ADHD, music therapy and medications can be used conjointly. Music, Cadena affirms, “can provide a calming, sedative affect and assist a child with focusing on the task at hand” (2). In regards to dementia, a study was done to investigate the effects that music would have on people with the disease. The findings demonstrated that “mean agitation levels were significantly lower while listening to music than before listening to the music” (3).