Effects Of Music Therapy On Dementia

“The American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) defines music therapy as ‘an established health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals’” (Barnett & Shale, 2013, p.48). Music Therapy (MT) is shown to be able to help people with many different kinds of mental health problems such as anxiety, stress, and minor cases of depression. There have been many studies done showing that MT is an effective form of therapy that can improve someone’s overall Quality Of Life (QOL). MT is known as an alternative technique therapy. It is often used instead of, or along with, medication to produce a result in the patience who need it. MT involves all aspects of the music process, including listening to, writing, singing, and analyzing music. Overall MT addresses physical and emotional problems and is used to enhance the life and health of the patient. This review is simply to inform readers of the effects music and MT has on mental health, specifically:

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

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

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke defines dementia as:“ word for a group of symptoms caused by disorders that affect the brain. It is not a specific disease. People with dementia may not be able to think well enough to do normal activities, such as getting dressed or eating. They may lose their ability to solve problems or control their emotions. Their personalities may change. They may become agitated or see things that are not there. (Health, 2014).This essay is going to discuss and explore what dementia is and the four main types of dementia which includes Alzheimer’s Disease, Vascular Dementia, Frontotemporal Dementia and Lewy Body Dementia. Then it explores the physiology changes in different types and the signs and symptoms of dementia. This effect can change the life of people having dementia to suffer in physical issues, social isolation and mental illness. Next, it discusses how environmental changes and music therapy strategies work in dementia. Lastly, the supports that Alzheimer’s Australia and Emmy Monash Aged Care can provide.

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

Music activities can affect older adults’ perceptions of their quality of life (Mercadal-Brotons et al.). But, even before going to a form of therapy dementia can be treated in different ways. “I do not believe in going to straight to medicine if you find out what that person is truly trying to tell you and that takes a lot of work because a person with dementia who is acting out or having “behaviors” there is a reason. It’s out of character to strike out so you need to look at symptoms: are they in pain? are they hungry? are they tired? are they frustrated? Because they can’t tie their shoes anymore or they're overwhelmed because there is too much food on their plate and they aren't capable of picking up that food. So you have to really do detective work with that resident you have to figure out why and adjust whatever it is they need. So you adjust the environment instead of using medication. We go along with their reality they've created, we don't lie. We adjust to their environment instead of fighting with them.” says Mitchell. This confirms the fact that yes, medication can temporarily help a person dealing with dementia but that the best way to help them is to just live with them in their own reality. Dementia is a symptom from Alzheimer’s or a stroke. So, this person has already struggled enough and it is best to just be with them and not to fight them to bring them to a current

My research paper discusses the topic on Dementia, which is defined as a neurodegenerative condition characterized by the deterioration in cognitive abilities, memory, and daily functioning. There are two articles that cover dementia research; the first article is Mediation of Family Dynamics, Personal Strengths, and Mental Health in Dementia Caregivers and the second article is Time Series Analysis of Individual Music Therapy in Dementia. Dementia caregivers are at times stressed and depressed while caring for someone who suffers from dementia. Music therapy can be therapeutic for people who suffer from dementia. I can relate to dementia because my grandmother suffered from it.

Not all Alzheimer’s’ patients show the same symptoms which makes it difficult to find proper control and test groups to study these effects, in my opinion. Some remaining questions I have would be how to account for the difference in patients’ personalities before being diagnosed, music type, the time of day (some patients with Alzheimer’s are more relaxed during certain days and times) and the stage of Alzheimer’s they are at. When creating a test group you have to be specific to each individual because the certain type of music in this issue has not yet been resolved. You would have to find carefully selected music to support the proposed question. You need to explain why music reaches and impacts patients in an alternative way than medications do. I believe the research done with Alzheimer’s and music therapy lacks mechanical design rigour. With all these issued not yet resolved, I feel that from reading this article, the argument that music impacts Alzheimer’s patients memories in a positive way is strongly

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was any significant difference between the effects and usefulness of music therapy compared to general activities, on reducing agitation in people with dementia. The study was also used to determine if music therapy warranted any immediate effects on symptom improvement, as opposed to solely long-term effects.

This research is proposed to better understand the impact of music therapy on cognition in children with Retts Syndrome. The knowledge presented is based on my own findings from a review of the empirical and theoretical literature relevant to this topic. It is important to study the effect music therapy has on Retts Syndrome candidates in order to better teach necessary knowledge needed in life.

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).