Alzheimer’s disease is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States (Help End Alzheimer's.). It is a common form of dementia categorized by a progressive decline in cognitive function (Simmons-Stern, 2010). According to the Alzheimer’s Association, “More than 500,000 seniors die each year because they have Alzheimer's disease”. Therefore Alzheimer’s disease kills more people than prostate and breast cancer together (Help End Alzheimer's.) Although there is no cure or treatment to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease it can be treated with medication, memory activities, and music therapy. The main classification of medication that is used for Alzheimer disease is Cholinesterase inhibitors. A noninvasive and inexpensive intervention to enhance the memory of the Alzheimer’s patient is music therapy. Music therapy is using diverse types of music to promote physical, emotion and behavioral well-being. (Covington,1997). Using music therapy in Alzheimer’s patients has also been shown to expand communication, express feelings and decrease behavioral problems. There has been a certified program rapidly spreading across the Milwaukee area that improves the quality of life in Alzheimer’s patients by incorporating music. Music and memory is a program that aids in memory enhancement and quality of life of Alzheimer’s patients and it has advantages and disadvantages.
The Program Description
Music and memory is a nonprofit organization that incorporates music into the daily lives of elderly Alzheimer’s patients. The Music and Memory program was started in 2010 by Dan COHEN. Dan started the music and memory program because he pondered on how he would feel if he was not able to listen to his favorite tunes when he was elderly. T...
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Covington, Holly, RN,M.S., C.C.R.N., (1997). Music therapy as a nursing intervention. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing & Mental Health Services, 35(3), 34-7. Retrieved from http://0-search.proquest.com.topcat.switchinc.org/docview/1024299036?accountid=10249
Help End Alzheimer's. (n.d.). Alzheimer's Association. Retrieved April 22, 2014, from http://www.alz.org/index.asp
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Simmons-Stern, (2010). Music as a memory enhancer in patients with alzheimer's disease. Neuropsychologia, 48(10), 3164-3167. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2010.04.033
Witzke J. How sweet the sound: research evidence for the use of music in Alzheimer's dementia. Journal of gerontological nursing. 2008;34:45.
Sacks adds that “It’s not just a physiological reaction. The parts of the brain that remember music and respond to music are not affected too much in Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia.” Music being able to elicit emotions and are connected to past events, which allow those affected with Alzheimer’s to unlock those hidden memories.
Music therapy has proven to reduce agitated behavior, decrease wandering, mediate communication, and increase self-identity. In addition, music calms the minds of dementia patients, and helps them feel comfortable.
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
Johnson, J. K., & Chow, M. L. (2015). Hearing and music in dementia. Handbook of Clinical
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
Meadows, A. N. (2011). Developments in music therapy practice case study perspectives. Gilsum: Barcelona Publishers.
Though it may be understood that choir music as well as classical music are relaxing with their low energy and more sophisticated melodies, which distract brains from remembering in the short term, it is almost unprecedented that ambience is such a good aid to memory. Classical music is utilized in classrooms nationwide, specifically for younger demographics, so based on the limited application of this test, this type of music may impair growth of the prefrontal cortexes of youths in the area of short term memory
Weir, Kirsten, and Debbie Nevins. "Music And Your Mind.. (Cover Story)." Current Health Kids 34.1 (2010): 10-12. Health Source - Consumer Edition. Web. 9 Jan. 2012.
Psychology doctor William Klemm talks about this in his article Does Music Help Memory. According to Klemm, listening to positive, upbeat, and lyric-less music can allow are memories to be more open to what we are consuming (2013). III. Conclusion A. Review of Main Points: 1. Today I first discussed how music in movies can add
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...
Murrock, C. J., & Higgins, P.A. (2009). The theory of music, mood and movement to improve health outcomes. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 65(10), 2249-2257.
In order to understand why the use of music therapy is growing, one must know what exactly music therapy is. Music Therapy is an established health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals. Music therapy also provides avenues for communicati...
Cooper, Belle. " How Music Affects and Benefits Your Brain."lifehacker.come. N.p., 11 22 2013. Web. 3