Benefits of Music Therapy for Dementia Patients

What is dementia?

Dementia is unfortunately a disease many families go through. Around 50 million people worldwide have dementia and about 20 million new cases are diagnosed yearly. Patients living with dementia lose the ability to accomplish activities of daily life. They experience symptoms affecting their memory, thinking, and social abilities. It is caused by brain cell damage that ends up interfering with the brain cells ability to communicate with each other, which results in thinking, behavior and feelings to be affected. There are 7 stages to this disease starting with no impairment to every severe decline. The most common form if dementia is Alzheimers disease.

Music in the brain

The brains auditory cortex is responsible for holding onto musical memories, Despite the fact that dementia is such a progressive memory loss disease, its strange that this area of the brain isn't damaged by the disease. Using music therapy as a treatment helps to produce the brains feel good chemicals, improving their cognition, mood and movement by providing them with past memories and associations.

What type is best?

Dementia patients suffer episodes of anxiety or become agitated in the evening or right before going to bed, When this time comes, plating music for them will calm them down. Instrumental music playing in the background is best, especially lullabies or classical music. Music therapy that incorporates an active group setting is the most effective pharmacological intervention as it improves emotion, behavior and quality of life

 

Music therapy provides:

• improvement in physical and mental well-being
• memory recall
• positive changes in moods and emotional states
• a sense of control over life
• non-pharmacological management of pain and discomfort
• stimulation that promotes rhythmic and continuous movement or vocal fluency as an adjunct to physical rehab
• opportunities to interact social with others

Helpful Tips:

- find the right type of music that works best

-test out different genres of music

-try different instruments

-play music at different times of the day

-group setting therapy vs 1V1 therapy

References

Craig, J. (2014). Music therapy to reduce agitation in dementia. Nursing Times, 110(32-33), 12-5.

Ridder, H. M., Stige, B., Qvale, L.G., & Gold, C. (2013). Individual music therapy for agitation in dementia: an exploratory randomized controlled trial. Aging & Mental Health, 17(6),667-78.

Vink AC, Zuidersma M, Boeserma F, et al. Effect of music therapy versus recreational activities on neuropsychiatric symptoms in elderly adult with dementia: an exploratory randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 2014 Feb: 62(2): 392-393