Music In Alzheimer's Care

according to the American musical therapy association musical therapist mooren bosch has said that she sees a huge impact every day that musical therapy has on the elderly she works with at a retirement home because it revives good memories that the elderly had and it helps them forget about the stress of being at an age that death could come from anywhere.

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.

The last technique of MT for dementia is combining music with activities. There are many more additional studies using MT which includes not only just melody but also with other activities like dancing, rhythmic movements, singing, playing instruments and more. Gómez-Gallego M and his colleagues asked forty-two minor to moderate AD to not only listen to the music they enjoy but also to dance, greet, play instruments and go on. The outcome of six-week intervention indicated that music with other activities could improve the cognitive status and alleviates neuropsychiatric symptoms of AD patients

Music has been known to be an important part of everyday life if it is used in knowledgeable ways music can have positive effects on health. With every generation listening to, or engaging in, some form of music, social, emotional and cognitive benefits can be seen in all ages. According to Creech et al, 2010?, many studies look into the benefits of music for younger people, whereas the power of music in enhancing health and wellbeing at an old age seem to be overlooked. With estimates of a least 8% of older people living in social isolation and the numbers of old people with depression rising (Relatives and Residents Association, 2010 & Age concern 2008), there is a growing need for the support of older peoples wellbeing. As interest of music affecting people’s wellbeing throughout life has increased, a significant

     5)      The routine noises can be a source of security for the Alzheimer's person. Comforting noise, such as talking and music may no longer be present and may cause panic.

For dementia patients, music from a person’s childhood or young adult years has proven to be effective in obtaining a positive response and involvement (and this happens even when the patient can no longer communicate). Music has been shown to help seniors process their thoughts and recall/maintain

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve observed people playing music around me. My family is musically inclined, which I believe is the reason I’ve been drawn to it. In 2006, I began taking guitar lessons but I never had much interest in playing. Things changed in 2009, and I wished to be different. I wanted to be good at something so I began to teach myself guitar and have stuck with the guitar until now. In 2010, I began to play on my church’s worship team and I enjoyed it very much. I have now been a worship leader for the past four years and it’s something I love to do. I love it so much that for the past two years I have gone to Camp Electric to

potentially scare or alarm the patient, making them feel frightened. These reactions have a lot to

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

Along with varying music to achieve different beneficial results from Alzheimer’s patients, there are many different activities that can help engage and improve the mental state of patients with Alzheimer’s from the early stages of the disease’s

I began my research curious about the prevalence of AD and dementia in nursing homes. I felt that this was a good starting point, as it is a major issue the documentary Alive Inside highlights. Ultimately I wanted to answer the question, why is it so important that alternative intervention such as music therapy are implemented in the care plans of individuals affected by these diseases? My search began using the Google search engine for statistical information on AD and dementia in nursing homes as well as background information on AD. According to the CDC in 2012, about 48.5% of residents that resided in a the United States long-term care facility or nursing homes were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and the number of individuals, over

According to Alzheimer’s Disease International (2012), “ there are 36 million people living with dementia worldwide in 2010 and will increase to 66 million by 2030” (p. 7). There is no treatment and prevention currently available and many elderly people are diagnosed with the dementia. Dementia gradually destroys the cells in the brain responsible for memory, thinking, judgment, and behavior. The day-to-day activities and simple tasks can be confusing and frustrating for the dementia patient, reducing their quality of life (QoL). Maintaining and improving the QoL plays a vital role in improving the survival rate. I will be working with the dementia clients so, it is important to understand how to measure and improve the QoL in order to provide better services according to the patient 's needs. In this paper, I will address the standard instrument used in measuring the QoL, and the effectiveness of music therapy in enhancing and improving the QoL.

Many different parts of the brain and body are stimulated by the sounds of music. “Psychological study of music is based on this reason. Studies have found that music can reduce stress, aid relaxation, alleviate depression, and help store and recall information among other functions” (Kirkweg). Music helps reduce the amount of stress in the body by lowering the amount of the hormone cortisone. We see this method today by music therapy. Music therapy is musical activities being done to change the behavior of the patient and improve their everyday life. Music therapy is also being used to help people with memory problems. The brain is made of a very complex system of neural networks that send information to one part of the brain to another. Through studying neural networks they have discovered that there are many other factors that affect this. Theses factors include attention, stress, emotion, music, and age. Music improves the efficiency of how the brain transfers information. This means that music is improving the memory for patients with memory

I am sure you have those songs that when you hear them, it reminds you of some memory linked to its melody. This happens to everyone,including your children.This illustrates that music is easily absorbed by one’s brain (Lucas par. 1).Music increases one’s capability in memorizing information. This skill helps to write tests and exams confidently. Favourite songs stimulate our memory in many ways. “As claimed in a study from McMaster University in Canada, students who

Aside from emotions, music can also have an impact on mental illnesses like ADHD, depression, and dementia. To combat depression, Cadena states that “music therapy alleviates pain and promotes calmness by slowing the heart rate and other bodily functions” (2). It provides the patient with a means of escape from the stressful and painful ordeals of life, and can even encourage them to recover from depression. To help children with ADHD, music therapy and medications can be used conjointly. Music, Cadena affirms, “can provide a calming, sedative affect and assist a child with focusing on the task at hand” (2). In regards to dementia, a study was done to investigate the effects that music would have on people with the disease. The findings demonstrated that “mean agitation levels were significantly lower while listening to music than before listening to the music” (3).