The Benefits of Music Therapy in Dementia Affecting over 5.2 million people as of 2014, it can officially be classified as a pandemic. It affects largely the elderly, but nobody is safe. It tears apart families, homes, and lives. One would think that this describes some type of exotic disease, but the danger is all too close to home; it is dementia. As they get older, many adults struggle with various forms of disease, the most well-known being Alzheimers, which can affect many important facets of life including speech, motor skills, and, perhaps the most important of all, memory. The loss of one’s memory can lead to depression and physical health issues, which is why there has been many forms of therapy, one of which includes music therapy. …show more content…
Whether a stately hymn issuing from a church organ or a popular song from their childhood, music is tightly intertwined not only with one’s identity but with their entire life. One of the major problems plaguing people with dementia is not knowing who or where they are. As one can imagine, the stress that this causes often leads to increased agitation, which in turn can lead to various behavioral problems. Not only do the connections made by music provide a sense of comfort and inner peace to the patient, but the complex nature of the connections often allows precious memories to be regained. (source A) Which can give them a better quality of life in the time they have …show more content…
It engages several different areas of the human brain, helping both to create and retrace neural pathways. This is especially beneficial for people with dementia, as the very nature of the disease destroys brain tissue. According to the studies aided by Midorikawa, the areas largely responsible for creative activities such as the enjoyment of and engagement in music are often left largely unharmed(source 7), making the engagement of these areas and functions doubly important. It is not uncommon for patients in a memory ward to find themselves slipping into depression and lethargy. Using music as a stimulant in such conditions has two main benefits. The first of these benefits would be dopamine surge mentioned earlier. Interestingly enough, the second benefit is not a direct product of the music itself, but rather an accompaniment; music therapy is not limited solely to listening to music, but in moving to the rhythm, to dancing. Not only does this also work towards the goal of improving the mood, but helps keep the patient in good physical health as well, promoting the flow of blood and exercising of different muscle
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.
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...
...the world. There is no cure for dementia and the other diseases relating to dementia. Dementia is the leading cause of Alzheimer’s Disease. Alzheimer’s Disease is also the most common disease with dementia (Wieregna, Bondi, 2011). Dementia can affect the patient and families in many emotional ways. Knowing that their loved one will be going through many mental disabilities and probably won’t be able to recall some memories can be tragic. Dementia can also affect families financially. The cost for a patient significantly rises every year due to the increase of the population (Hurd, 2013). Dementia can also lead to Parkinson’s and Huntington disease, which can affect the mobility of the patient (Quinn, Busse, Dal Bello-Hass, 2013). Dementia is still one of the most widely diagnosed diseases around the world. Without a cure for it, many more people will be affected.
I’m writing my paper on Music Therapy, and how music affects the mind and body, to treat various illnesses. Music therapy is the prescribed use of music under the direction of specially trained therapists to influence changes in negative conditions and behavior. It accomplishes this by maintaining and restoring mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health .One type of theory is the idea that music, movement, and speech are inseparable. Music evokes unconscious thoughts and feelings, which in turn expand self-awareness. Music therapy is a powerful and non-invasive form of sensory stimulation which provokes responses due to the familiarity, predictability, and feelings of security associated with it. In some medical settings such as mental health services, it has been used to decrease patient’s perception of pain, anxiety and depression. ICU patients listening to music showed a significant decrease in blood pressure. It has been shown to calm the patient and to relax their mind and body. Music eases the burden on the arteries and nerves through relaxation. Du...
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
Music is everywhere we go; we listen to it in the car, while doing work, and there are even people who pay to listen or watch an artist perform live. Yes, life goes on without music, but music has such an impact on our lives. Life is a rollercoaster of emotions and we have music to fit our emotions to be just as we feel. Music has a great deal of importance of many people. It can have a meaning that they cannot explain to others and are able to connect with the song. By doing so experts are able to help patients overcome many sicknesses with the help of music. Music therapy is capable of being an advantage for many individual patients, it can encourage responses from patients that other methods of therapy cannot get from them. Also, it improves the patients in distinctive ways other than for an illness.
Dementia is a disease effecting nearly thirty-six million people worldwide (Whiteman, 2014). Even with so many elderly suffering from the disease, there are many people who don’t know what dementia truly is. People often jump too quickly to the conclusion that dementia is a disease that only effects the memory. They may believe that dementia is inevitable and cannot be cured in any case. They may also believe that dementia is something the majority of elderly will experience when they get older.
Alzheimer’s is a disease that many people have heard of, but few really know much about. Imagine not being able to remember your loved ones and friends or even how to do simple tasks like dressing yourself and brushing your hair. Now imagine having to dress your mother, who rarely remembers you anymore. This is the reality of life for millions of older people afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease and the families that care for them. Alzheimer’s causes cognitive function to decrease gradually overtime. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia - affecting around 5 million Americans (alz.org). It is the most fatal disease affecting older people and needs to be taken seriously.
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
Music helps people remember things like our mother’s voice when she sang you to sleep when we were children. Music takes us back to when we were a little kid. We can hear a song on the radio and it will make us think about that happy moment. Music has a big impact on our memories. (Lyon, Suzanne)
Jonas-Simpson, C., & Mitchell, G. J. (2005). Giving voice to expressions of quality of life for persons living with dementia through story, music, and art. Alzheimer's Care Quarterly, 6(1), 52-61.
There was never a question in my mind that music possesses a strong element to help people. It has always been a stress reliever in my life. There is research that supports the belief that music is an instrumental part or impact on a wider realm of physical and mental disorders or disabilities. Music is known to set the mood or atmosphere for all types of situations. There is extensive research completed on this subject.
Music can give benefits in many ways. These benefits include mental and emotional benefits, such as releasing of stress, improving emotions, helping depression, and improving IQ/memory. There are also physical benefits to music. Some of these benefits are: easing pain, helping patients recover post-surgery, helping premature babies grow, fixing your heart, enhancing blood vessel service and even aiding in
Music can relieve certain medical problems. Parkinsons can be made better with certain musical rhythms. By listening and moving to regular rhythm patterns, people can overcome the effects of parkinson's (Sacks 1). Tourettes can also be made better or worse by performing or listening to songs, depending on what type. Migraines and headaches can be affected by music; again, better or worse. Relaxing or other certain kinds of songs can help out with heart problems. “A review of 23 studies covering over 1,500 patients found that listening to music ...