Dementia Through Music Therapy

Dementia is a cognitive disorder which causes a loss of brain functions which mainly affect memory .

Nearly 135 million people worldwide will be impacted by dementia by 2050 (Robinson, Tang, Taylor,. 2015). Dementia is not a disease, it is an overall term that describes a wide range of symptoms associated with the decline in memory and thinking skills. Dementia is a progressive illness that results in the loss of one’s sense of self (Burns, Byrne, Ballard, Holmes, 2002). The two most common forms of dementia are Alzheimer’s disease and Vascular dementia. Dementia is progressive and people with dementia experience complications with short-term memory, keeping track of personal items, paying bills, taking care of themselves and daily tasks (Haigh, Mytton, 2016). Due to the rising number of individuals developing dementia, it is causing major challenges in the healthcare systems and society (Angermeter, Luck, Then, Riedel-Heller, 2016). Utilizing psychotropic medications are often ineffective or harmful to the individual, therefore, many patients decide to utilize sensory therapy as a form of treatment instead (Livingston, Kelly olmes, et al., 2014). Caregivers of individuals with dementia can also experience health consequences related to caregiving at the end of life. Spousal caregivers are 40.5% higher odds of experiencing frailty as a result of caregiving (Carr, Dassel, 2017). Dementia does not only affect the individual, it affects those around them, society, and the healthcare system.

Today, the treatment of dementia is based on psychotropic medications, which come with many side effects and adverse reactions. Medication can be beneficial in many cases, but too often with dementia patients it is used to treat a symptom. In this type of situation it is important to balance the old symptoms with the new symptoms and risks of the medication being used, and decide for whose benefit the medication is being administered. There is a wide-range of non-pharmacologic interventions that have been considered for treatment of dementia. The most effective intervention has been environment modification, which has shown to enhance functional abilities of the patient (Sung, Lee, Chang & Smith, 2011). In long-term facilities this includes incorporating familiar items from home to familiarize a new environment, in order to reduce anxiety, and promote relaxation. One of the most frequently researched interventions is the use of music as an environmental modifier, and it has shown management of behavioral problems (Sung, Lee, Chang & Smith, 2011). It is a very significant finding, considering the fact that music has no known side effects (Wall and Duffy, 2010).

Dementia is a term used to describe a collection of signs and symptoms that happen to the brain when it is affected by the progression of certain diseases such as vascular dementia (when brain cells die due to lack of oxygen) and Alzheimer’s disease (a specific brain disease). Some of the affects these diseases have are on a person’s memory, language and communication abilities, behaviour and ability to make rational judgements.

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.

Dementia is a progressive illness that usually occurs over a period of time one of the earliest signs of dementia is problems with a persons memory, this can result in the individual behaving and communicating differently .

In this research paper, the effectiveness of music therapy on the cognitive degenerative disorder of dementia will be evaluated. To support the contention that music therapy is effective in treating the symptoms of dementia, research documenting this therapy’s impact on memory, emotions, and behavior will be examined. In order to provide a greater understanding of music therapy and dementia, these terms will be defined. Second, research will be examined to determine music therapy’s impact on the psychological and behavioral issues associated with dementia. Finally, a summary of music therapy’s benefits and an evaluation of its effectiveness in treating individuals afflicted with dementia will be discussed.

Dementia refers to a syndrome which results in deterioration in thinking, memory, behavior, and ability to execute everyday activities and duties. Despite the fact that the syndrome is mainly associated with the older people, it is not a normal aspect or part of ageing. One of the major causes of dementia is the aspect of Alzheimer's disease. This disease contributes to about 60 to 70 percent of the cases of dementia. Dementia possesses psychological, physical, economic, and social impacts in relation to the family, caregivers, and the entire society. Dementia affects each individual in a diverse or different way with reference to the impact of the disease and personality following the development of the syndrome (Gao et al, 2013 p. 447).

An estimated 47.5 million people suffer from dementia. Every 4 seconds one new case of dementia is diagnosed. Dementia is a term that describes certain symptoms such as impairment to memory, communication and thinking. It is a group of symptoms and not just one illness. Even though one‘s chance of getting dementia increase with age, it is not a part of aging. Dementia is usually diagnosed after a series of assessments that includes a physical evaluation, memory tests, imaging studies and blood work. It affects three aspects of one’s mental function, cognitive dysfunction (Problems with memory, language, thinking and problem solving), psychiatric behavior (changes in personality, emotional control, social behavior and delusions) and difficulties with daily living activities (driving, shopping, eating and dressing). “The median survival time in women is 4.6 years and in men 4.1 years” (Warren, 2016).

Dementia is an extremely common disease among the elderly, with 4 million Americans currently suffering from the Alzheimer’s type alone. Figures show that 3% of people between the ages of 65-74 suffer from the disease, rapidly increasing to 19% for the 75-84 age bracket, and as high as 47% for the over 85s. Therefore, it is easy to see why Dementia is such a large part of many people’s lives, whether they are suffering from the condition themselves, or have an elderly relative who requires full time care just to undertake simple day to day tasks. The disease can be extremely traumatic for the patient and their families, as the person, who may have been extremely lively and bright throughout their

Read the Abstract. This is a brief summary of the research questions that are targeted and the methods that are used to answer those questions.

The information that we know about Alzheimer’s is very limited. The cause of Alzheimer’s is still a mystery to us, but progress is being made. Many diligent hard working researchers and clinicians are tirelessly working around the clock trying to scratch the surface and get some answers. The scientific database of the music therapy profession is well established and accessible to students, clinicians, educators, and the general public through refereed articles published in the Journal of Music Therapy (Gregory57). For the time being different kinds of therapeutic tools are being used to help manage the Alzheimer’s and one of the most powerful therapeutic tools is music. Music has the ability to make a person recall a really sad memory they once experienced or a really happy experience. Music therapy interventions are designed to the specific needs of the patient whether it be cognitive, behavioral, emotional, or motor. Instrumentation and the style of music plays a big role in this.

Individuals who are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease suffer from a loss of memories due to the deterioration of the brain’s wiring. Music therapy, although only deeply researched and experimented on during the past decade or so, has ignited new possibilities for treating agitation and anxiety in moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease. This essay investigates how effects of music therapy of different cultures help alleviate different stages of Alzheimer’s disease through autobiographical memory renewal.

Looking back at the patient in case 1, it is important to look at other ways to treat the patient 's depression. The patient’s depression lead to other things, like her hopelessness and anxiety, as addressed in my nursing diagnoses. It is often helpful to look outside of medicinal practices to find ways to help our patients. I was able to find literature addressing interventions that discussed relaxation techniques to help patients with depression, more specifically music therapy. I wanted to answer the clinical question: does music therapy improve depression among older adults? I wanted to look at a population of older adults, since my patient was 87, and the intervention of music therapy as opposed to no intervention, and the outcome of improved depression. I found two articles on this topic: Effect of music on depression levels and physiological responses in community-based older adults (Moon Fai Chan, Engle Angela Chan, Esther Mok, and Fionca Yuk Kwan Tse, 2009) (Article 1) and Effects of music on depression in older people: a randomised controlled trial (Moon Fai Chan, Zi Yang Wong, Hideaki Onishi, and Naidu Vellasamy Thayala, 2011) (Article 2), which both looked at music as an intervention for older adults with depression. I used the Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Research Evidence Appraisal tool to evaluate both articles.

In order to understand how the studies of music and how it may or may not help the Alzheimer’s disease (AD) one would need the background of it. AD is a progressive neurological disease that leads to deterioration in cognitive abilities. People with AD encounter a progressive decline in their neurological capabilities, which manifest in language deficits, among other cognitive difficulties. The main failures in speech include naming difficulties, verbal fluency deficit, comprehension problems, and deterioration of spontaneous speech. People with AD tend to have discourse deficits, which include empty phrases, indefinite words, and repetitions. The speech of a person with the deficits is difficult for an interlocutor to follow. Thus, theses progressive language failures can lead people with AD to isolation. Due to their progressive inability to communicate, people with AD need interventions that address their communication needs and help prevent social isolation (Dass, A., & Amir, D. 2014).