Music Therapy in Dementia Care

Music Therapy in the 1940’s began to expand and find its way into the way of treating various mental and physical disorders. Everett Thayer Gaston, also known as “the father of music”, was one of many that brought Music Therapy to the eye of clinical treatments. There are actually very few in the musical education and therapy field that do not know Gaston’s name. He and others also brought the importance of musical education to the eye of the community, enabling the use of music in elementary schools and colleges. Showing that the importance of music starts young and carries on into adulthood.

According to Geretsegger et al. (2014), music therapy is an effective clinical intervention for a varied of medical conditions, which are profoundly supported by strong scientific evidence on their significance for mood enhancement and stress relief. The five conditions for which music therapy has been studied, backed up by good scientific evidence are; dementia, autism, sleep quality, depression and infant development.

Music therapy is noninvasive, it activates multiple areas of the brain that are necessary for positive and successful results, and for a lot of patients, a preferred type of therapy. It is cost effective, does not have post treatment side effects, and benefits more than just the patient, but those around them; such as, friends, family, and care givers.. Music engages the brain in a very powerful and comprehensive way.

Music Therapists (MTs) borrow from a range of non-music based therapy models in their development of Music Therapy-specific treatment models. Many widely used Music Therapy (MT) techniques have their roots in psychological theories and treatment models. Cognitive Behavioural Music Therapy (CBMT) draws on the widely-used and extensively researched psychology approach, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), to address CBT goals through MT interventions. Despite the many parralels between CBT and MT there is limited literature on CBMT; the existing literature indicates that CBMT may be an effective treatment for clients with a variety of needs. Improvisation in CBMT makes up an even smaller portion of the literature, however the theoretical underpinnings of the CBT approach are congruent with the use of music improvisation.

It is surprising to realize the practice of one small therapy could impact the world in a big and positive way. Music therapy is the practice of using music to better the lives of people with motor, cognitive, and speech disabilities, along with surgical patients. This is achieved by redirecting neural networks in the brain with certain types of music selected for that specific patient. This is not a field for every musician however, only educated students who are board certified should practice music therapy for the safety for the patients. Although many people believe music therapy should not be considered a therapy, it should be considered a mainstream beneficial medical practice and used worldwide. It greatly increases the education of mentally disabled children, surgical patients have a safer option for pain reduction, and it creates employment for people who are interested in a career dealing with music.

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.

In order to prove my point, I made an experiment. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was used with nonequivalent control group. The experimental group participated in the music therapy twice a week for 7 weeks while continuing their standard treatment. The control group received nursing care including psychopharmacology, routinely provided in the hospitals.

This article helps explain and break down exactly what music therapy is. Music therapy is a gentle, and effective form of actual therapy. Music therapy helps those in need of help mentally, physically, and emotionally. Whether the patient was domestically abused, raped, witnessed a tragedy, or anything. Therapists believe that music can help and solve anything. The article exclaims its importance to those who suffer from different forms of anxieties, depressions, and traumatic events. This article helps the reader understand specifically just how fully music therapy can help any situation, and anyone out of anything. The article also states the side effects

Many tend to get dementia and Alzheimer’s confused, but they are two different diseases. People with dementia have symptoms that can vary greatly such as memory loss, communication and language, ability to focus and pay attention, reasoning and judgement, and visual perception. There are 36 million people estimated to live with dementia, and this number is rapidly increasing” (Alzheimer’s Disease International, 2012). When someone has dementia, it starts off slowly but then progresses quickly. “Dementia is a chronic or persistent disorder of the mental processes caused by brain disease or injury and

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

Evidence based practice shows that music has had many positive effects on those with dementia when used as a form of treatment. In fact, some of the benefits that have resulted from music therapy are currently unachievable by other interventions. Music therapy is defined as “controlled use of music and its influence on the human being to aid in physiological, psychological and emotional integration of individual during treatment of an illness or disability” (Sung, Lee, Chang & Smith, 2011). Patients with advanced dementia display a variety of unfavorable behaviors that are unpleasant and difficult to

Although music therapy is a somewhat modern discovery, its formation was many years in the making. In the early 1800s, the therapeutic value of music appeared in two medical journals by Edwin Atlee and Samuel Mathews. Both contributors were students of physician and psychiatrist, Dr. Benjamin Rush, a strong advocate of music therapy for medical diseases. However, during the 1800s, the first recorded music therapy intervention in an institutional setting occurred, as well as the first recorded systematic experiment in music therapy. Nonetheless, music therapy was formally instituted in the United States in the 1920s when musicians played for

In order to remedy deficits in undergraduate training, some music therapists chose to explore graduate programs (Bruscia, 1989). Bruscia (1987) proposed that the bachelor’s degree in music therapy should function as preparation for the master’s degree, and thus provide a broad-based education for the development of musical and therapeutic skills. Justification for entry level at the master’s degree level also suggests the possibility of state licensure, which would allow the music therapist to practice independently and open new opportunities for reimbursement.

1. Degrees in music therapy became available in the late 1940s, and in 1950s, the first professional association of music therapist was formed in the U.S.

According to the American Music Therapy Association (A.M.T.A.), 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.” As a generally new and upcoming industry, music therapy is often underestimated. By incorporating different areas of the brain, music can reduce stress, ease