Imagine attempting simple everyday tasks and struggling because of confusion or memory loss. Well unfortunately, this is what it is like for many people with dementia. The severity of dementia ranges from person to person, but is there anything that can help? Music therapy, for one, can actually be tremendously helpful for those with dementia in more ways than the average person might think. The word dementia is often used as an umbrella term to describe a wide range of symptoms. Dementia is commonly used to describe those with a decline in mental abilities that potentially interferes with their everyday life. This is common in older adults and may develop gradually or even appear suddenly. It is also important to note that, “dementia is more prevalent in older adults with the rate doubling about every 5 years after the age of 75 (Erber,2005; Papalia et al.,1996)” (Davis, Gfeller, & Thaut, 2008). Dementia not only affects the person who is diagnosed with it but also family and friends. Those who have dementia may have a hard time communicating effectively and that can add stress to those close to them. With regards to that, music therapy can be a great way to maintain mental abilities of those with dementia and help families communicate better with their loved one. Dementia can occur in relation to many different illnesses. Some of the most common of which are Huntington’s Disease, …show more content…
B., Gfeller, K. E., & Thaut, M. H. (2008). An Introduction to Music Therapy: Theory and Practice(3rd ed.). Silver Spring, Maryland: The American Music Therapy Association. Johnson, J. K., & Chow, M. L. (2015). Hearing and music in dementia. Handbook of Clinical Neurology, 129, 667–687. http://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-62630-1.00037-8 Raglio, A., Filippi, S., Bellandi, D., & Stramba-Badiale, M. (2014). Global music approach to persons with dementia: evidence and practice. Clinical Interventions in Aging, 9, 1669–1676.
“Dementia as a clinical syndrome is characterised by global cognitive impairment, which represents a decline from previous level of functioning, and is associated with impairment in functional abilities and, in many cases, behavioural and psychiatric disturbances” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK55480/
Dementia is a disease which causes mental debility and affects one’s way of intelligent, attentiveness, recollection and problem-solving (NHS, 2013). As a result of dysfunction of brain cells in some parts of the brain it affects the thinking process then dementia occurs and it usually comes with age (Ibid). It is estimated that 560 000 people suffer from dementia in England and as a result the NHS and Social Care spend about 3.3billion (National Audit Offices)
This essay will explore the perspectives of music therapists including Julie Sutton and Gary Ansdell and research of Psychologists Paul Gilbert, Nigel Hunt and Sue Mchale.
Have you ever given much thought about what goes on in the brain when you listen to music? Almost every human being listens to some type of music from country music all the way to religious music. Thinking about it, does music help with anything, is it just something humans like spending their time with or does it harm us in any way or form? I will am going to tell you about what the brain releases when a person listens to music, how music helps people with Alzheimer’s, and other small things that music does to the brain.
In the 17th and the 19th century dementia was synonymous with insanity. Still many knew that people with this disease suffered from permanent damage that was irreversible unlike mental disorders where the brain remains intact (2006). Dementia was often known as senile which is common with old age. Studies through the years have shown that it is much more serious and causes damage to areas of the brain. Alois Alzheimer in 1910 noticed tangles, plaques, and arterio...
Dementia is the progressive deterioration and impairment of memory, reasoning, and other cognitive functions occurring as the result of a disease or condition. Dementia can affect the person’s ability to carry out daily activities. For example, the person may forget where they live or they might think they have already done their activities but never did. Dementia can also cause the elderly to become incontinent and can’t control their urinary system. Many people get confused that dementia is a disease. Dementia is not a disease. However, it can lead to a disease or condition. Dementia is more common in the elderly population. It’s normal for people to forget things, but to a certain extent it becomes a critical issue. Depression also plays a role in the affects of dementia. Studies have been made to believe that the biological mechanisms for depression relating to dementia is, “interactions with vascular diseases, changes in glucocorticoid steroid levels that can result in hippocampal atrophy, accumulation of amyloid-[beta] plaques, inflammatory processes, and lack of nerve growth factors” (Heser et al., 2013). Dementia is caused because of plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. This can also be known as Alzheimer’s Disease. Dementia is the leading cause for Alzheimer’s Disease in the elderly. For all dementia cases, 60 to 80 percent of people with dementia will have Alzheimer’s Disease. The disease has 3 different stages, the early stage, the middle stage, and the late stage. Each of those stages has a variety of symptoms that affects the memory impairment of the person (Wieregna, Bondi, 2011). Also relating to dementia is Parkinson’s Disease and Huntington Disease. These diseases can result in impairment, which can cause challeng...
Dementia is an acquired clinical disorder that affects loss of brain cells, causing a gradual onset and the continued decline of higher cognitive functioning. This damage interferes with how parts of the brain cells communicate with one another. It affects memory, thinking, language, judgment, and behavior. Dementia is classified in two categories: reversible and irreversible. Reversible dementia can be the result of a medication reaction, metabolic disturbances, emotional distress, infections, and nutritional deficiencies. These, however, are treatable and should be identified early if suspected to avoid lasting side effects. Unlike degenerative (irreversible) dementia, it is common to any age group. Irreversible dementia is the broadened classification for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s disease. These tend to only affect the older population, people over sixty-five. As the disease worsens, people have problems with short-term memory loss, like forgetting things they have said or done, even though they can often recall events that happen...
It is estimated more than 5.3 million people have Alzheimer’s disease (AD). AD is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, with a new case of AD being diagnosed every 70 seconds. For women living over the age of 55 the risk of developing AD is 17%. For men, at the same age, the risk is slightly lowered at 9% (LeMone, Burke & Bauldoff, 2011, p.1510). Due to these staggering statics, AD continues to be an area of great interest and concern for the medical community. Although the cause of AD is unknown and there is currently no cure, many advances have been made in the treatment of AD. Treatments for AD are now expanding out from simply providing traditional pharmacological interventions to incorporating alternative treatments as well. Music therapy is one of the alternative treatments now being implemented for individuals suffering from AD. This research paper will discuss what Alzheimer’s disease is, what music therapy is and how music therapy is implemented in the treatment of AD, as well as the benefits and barriers of music therapy in AD patients
Music therapy works because of its three fundamentals: the application of systematic thinking through music theory, the creation of an individualized treatment plan, as well as the patie...
The participants were recruited based on the qualifications of being older than 65 years, scoring 0.5-1 on the Clinical Dementia Rating scale, and a primary caregiver willing to volunteer in the study (Cheung, Ho, Lai, Lai, & Wong, 2015). Staff for the study, consisting of social workers and occupational therapists, were recruited by posters (Cheung et al., 2015). The staff took a training course and all came up with a protocol for the music-with-movement intervention, with the aims to promote the wellbeing of people with dementia, and also their primary caregiver. A music therapist constructed various songs for specific activities for the people with dementia to engage in with their
Music therapy is not necessarily a cure for dementia but the latest studies show that it is one of the indispensable tools to provide comfort and improve cognition in the patients. Go ahead, play your loved one's favorite music—and don't shy away from shaking your legs to the tune—because music not only touches the patient's heart but opens his mind
Dementia is a long-term condition that normally affects people aged 65 and over, younger people can be affected. Having dementia can cause loss of key functions to the brain, such as; loss of memory; confusion; speech and language problems; loss of ability to make judgements; loss of concentration; difficulty in processing information; changes in behaviour and personality. These all lead to a person not been able to function properly. The person’s ability to function deteriorates over a period of time and is usually at least 6 months before positive diagnosis of dementia can be made. Dementia is caused when the brain is damaged by diseases such as Alzheimer’s which is the most common of dementia, vascular which is a series of mini strokes,
To begin with, music can be therapeutic and relaxing. Those with dementia are often in hospitals or nursing homes and often go through the same routine everyday. Music can be a diversion to those struggles and repetitive routines that they have to face and instead help them focus on something that can bring happiness and enjoyment into their lives. Not to mention, “a number of studies have concluded that music interventions, such as music listening or group music therapy sessions, were associated with reduced agitation in persons with dementia (Groene, 1993; Clark et al., 1998; Gerdner, 2000; Sung et al., 2006; Janata, 2012)” (Johnson & Chow, 2015). Music therapy can be a way for these patients to release stress and anger that they otherwise may take out on their caregivers. Additionally, “sound and music have also been shown to achieve clear effects on vital parameters like blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and heart rate variability” (Raglio,Filippi, Bellandi, & Stramba-Badiale, 2014). Just like an upbeat song can increase blood pressure and increase the heart rate, a calm song and decrease blood pressure and decrease the heart rate. The examples given are just a short list of what music has to offer when it comes to those with dementia it also has the ability to meet social, psychological, and cognitive goals, as
Dementia is an organic brain syndrome which results in global cognitive impairments. Dementia can occur as a result of a variety of neurological diseases. Some of the more well known dementing diseases include Alzheimer's disease (AD), multi-infarct dementia (MID), and Huntington's disease (HD). Throughout this essay the emphasis will be placed on AD (also known as dementia of the Alzheimer's type, and primary degenerative dementia), because statistically it is the most significant dementing disease occurring in over 50% of demented patients (see epidemiology).
Music has proven itself to be a wonderful tool in the arena of improving the symptoms of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Music has the power to “shift mood, manage stress-induced agitation, stimulate positive interactions, facilitate cognitive function, and coordinate motor movements” (Clair). With all of these positive benefits, music is undeniably advantageous. Music has these benefits because the rhythmic responses it creates require little to no cognitive processing and the ability to engage in music is prev...