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... ... middle of paper ... ...re 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 Sambandham, (1995). Music as a nursing intervention for residents with alzheimer's disease in long-term care. Geriatric Nursing (New York, N.Y.), 16(2), 79-83. doi:10.1016/S0197-4572(05)80011-4 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.
Filmmaker Michael Rossato-Bennett follows social worker Dan Cohen on his mission to bring music into the lives of nursing home residents. Cohen’s non-profit organization Music & Memory hope to use music to help patients struggling with memory loss regain their self identify. Alive Inside: A Story of Music & Memory introduces us to people suffering from memory disorders and have been confined to nursing homes. Their memory impairment and separation from the outside world have left them isolated.
...s that long-term music memory consists of two forms: explicit and implicit functions. Explicit memory involves remembering personal and emotional recollections of the musical experience. Certain songs allow patients to remember contextual elements of their life. Implicit memory involves knowing how to do something, which is facilitated by non-conscious processes, including priming, procedural memory, or motor skills. Some patients with Alzheimer’s disease retain the ability to play instruments they played in their youth.
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.
A qualitative study was conducted using focus groups that was formed of patients, carers, staff and families. This helped develop insights into the musical experiences of people with dementia and explore the meaning of music within their lives (McDermott et al, 2013). The results signified that the accessibility of music for people at all stages of dementia has close links with music, personal identity and life events. It also highlighted the importance of relationship building through music as valuable tool. The evidence concludes that the effects of music reduce behavioural and psychological symptoms and that sustaining
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
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
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
The advancement of the nursing field depends on the continuation of research and the development of a theoretical knowledge base. Middle-range theories help improve nursing research and nursing practice by providing a testable hypothesis as a model for directing further research. “The Theory of Music, Mood and Movement (MMM) to Improve Health Outcomes” discusses the use of music as a method to increase activity levels, improve mood and enhance the overall health of the body. Studies using the MMM theory have been conducted to determine improvements in cardiovascular health, reducing depression, interventions in pain management, treatment of stroke victims and improving the overall care of cancer patients and older adults. The theory is a useful tool to further investigate potential benefits of music and health outcomes across all scopes of nursing practice.
Have you ever studying while listening to music, but your mom tells you to turn it off? Well the researcher might just have a solution. If music does improves memory, then your going to be able to do it all the time. The brain is a complex organ. When listening to the right music you might just be able to improve your memory. A man named Harvey Cushing was the first neurosurgeon.
After great practice, Josh Clark learned to spell his last name. This may not seem like a grand accomplishment, but for Josh, it is. Josh has down syndrome. He attends weekly music therapy sessions and his parents are seeing great progress. Mother said, “Within a week, he learned how to spell ‘Clark’. Without music therapy, it would have taken several weeks or several months. So how does music help Josh to learn at a faster rate than without music? Josh’s music therapist knew that Josh was accustomed with the song “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” so she used that to help him learn. Josh listened to her sing each letter of his last name to the familiar tune. His mom thinks, “Music therapy helps him to focus. He loves it. He’s always loved music.” It is true that music is a large part of everyone’s lives, whether it is listening to it or playing it. Josh also loves playing the maracas, so his music therapist uses the maracas as a reward for spelling his name. To the average person spelling a name is no big deal, but to Josh’s family and friends, it is much more than that. “He takes a lot longer to learn, but there are a lot more small triumphs,” his mom says (AMTA 2014). This family has seen great results from the music therapy and they are not the only ones. As more people with various therapeutic needs begin to see the benefits of music healing, it has become one of the best forms of treatment.
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
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.
14. Shulman, Matthew. "Music as Medicine for the Brain." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 17 July 2008. Web. 10 Sept. 2013.
It can be proven, through literary research and personal experiences, that music has a positive effect on learning and memory. It can be concluded that these positive effects have an impact on patients with Alzheimer’s, on the motor skills and auditory memory of mentally disabled children, on students attempting to remember subject manner that they are learning, and on the affectivity of advertisements. On a personal note, music has facilitated my ability to remember things, both positive and negative, a number of times. For example, in high school I memorized the days of the week in French by singing them along with a tune that was already familiar to me. I have also had multiple experiences in which I remember things that I do not want to remember such as advertisements and negative experiences because they were accompanied with specific music. Despite the miniscule negative effects of music on memory, the powerful ability of music to trigger memory production and recall is undeniably beneficial. The profound effect of music on memory and learning makes music a great tool for helping people who want to improve cognitive function, whether they need to receive treatment for a mental disease or learn new information.
Cooper, Belle. " How Music Affects and Benefits Your Brain."lifehacker.come. N.p., 11 22 2013. Web. 3