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Feb 9, 2023 · Music therapy can also provide benefits for several other issues that often plague seniors. For example, it is a tool to improve socialization. Some music therapies involve playing music together or even altering and coming up with new versions of songs. And the benefits don’t end with music therapy’s mental health effects.
Dec 16, 2023 · Research has shown that music therapy can have a positive impact on cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes in elderly dementia patients. Various case studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of this therapy in slowing down the progression of neurodegeneration, which is a significant concern in dementia.
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Can music therapy help seniors with memory care?
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What are the primary and secondary outcomes of music therapy?
- Overview
- Does listening to music help people with dementia?
- How does music therapy affect our brains?
- What type of music is best for people with dementia?
- Other promising treatments for dementia
- Takeaway
Though we don’t yet understand why, various types of music therapy have been shown to help ease the symptoms of dementia.
Dementia is an umbrella term for several conditions characterized by a loss in cognition, leading to changes in memory, language, reasoning, and even behavior. Dementia affects roughly 55 million people worldwide, according to statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO).
Although there’s no cure for dementia, there are treatment approaches that can help slow down the progression of the disease and ease some of the symptoms of the condition.
Music therapy ― which consists of interventions like listening, singing, or dancing to music ― is one of the approaches that may be helpful for easing dementia symptoms and improving their overall quality of life.
Music is a universal language, one that can nurture our emotions, lighten our moods, and even improve our overall health. In fact, many years of research suggest that music can have significant health benefits ― especially for people living with dementia.
In addition to the way listening to music lightens mood in general, music interventions directed by a trained music therapist have also been examined as a type of therapy for people with dementia.
One large systematic review from 2020 explored the effects of music therapy on dementia. In this review, the researchers evaluated 82 studies on the benefits of music therapy for cognitive function, behavioral and psychological symptoms, and quality of life in people living with dementia.
According to the review, some studies found that music therapy may help improve memory, cognition, daily functioning, and quality of life in people with dementia. But the biggest impact of music therapy was in the area of behavioral and psychological symptoms like depression, anxiety, and agitation.
But how can music actually help improve the symptoms of dementia? Although experts still aren’t entirely sure how music therapy works for dementia, research suggests that there may be a few different underlying mechanisms:
•Music can trigger emotions, something that may promote the creation of new neurons in the brain and help improve memory and mood in people with dementia.
•Music activates the brain’s reward system and releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter that may help reduce age-related cognitive and motor function decline.
•Music can reduce stress and help regulate the immune system, which may reduce the rate of neurodegeneration in dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
While there doesn’t seem to be one specific type of music that’s best for dementia, research suggests that there are several different types of music-based interventions that may show promise.
Some of these interventions include:
•individual, personalized music sessions
•dancing, exercising, or relaxing to music
•writing or discussing song lyrics
•singing along with songs or music
Currently, there is no known cure for dementia. However, treatments exist that can help slow down the progression of the disease, as well as manage the symptoms that the disease causes.
Some of the treatment options that exist for dementia may include:
•Medications: Dementia medications may help alleviate cognitive symptoms and slow the progression of the disease. Cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine are two medications that are commonly prescribed for dementia.
•Lifestyle changes: Although there’s no way to reverse the changes that dementia causes in the brain, lifestyle changes can potentially help slow the progression of the disease. Eating a nutritious diet, engaging in regular exercise, getting enough sleep, and limiting smoking and drinking are just a few of the changes that may reduce dementia risk and slow progression.
•Alternative treatments: Complementary treatment approaches may also be beneficial in easing dementia symptoms, especially alongside medications and lifestyle changes. Treatments like physical therapy, psychotherapy, and even alternative approaches like massage therapy, can help alleviate some of the physical and emotional symptoms that dementia causes.
If someone you love has been diagnosed with dementia, treatments can help slow the progression of the condition, alleviate some of the symptoms, and improve the overall quality of life. Talk with your doctor if you don’t feel that you or your loved one’s dementia symptoms are being fully managed.
Dementia is a progressive condition that can have a significant impact on someone’s cognitive, emotional, and physical health.
Research has shown that music therapy may be beneficial for people living with conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Nov 1, 2021 · Muscle strength. Bone density. Balance and coordination. Flexibility. Directing a person's attention away from their pain with music therapy can help ease pain and lessen stress, too. Playing or ...
Jan 29, 2021 · Music is a powerful, easily accessible tool that can spark memories even when family members are unrecognizable to a senior suffering from memory care issues. But you don’t have to be a music therapist to offer music therapy for seniors. We’ve got some very simple tips on how to bring the joy of melody to your aging loved ones.
Feb 11, 2023 · Music therapy presents different implementation methods, such as individual or group sessions with active or passive participation, and via several modalities, such as songwriting, music and relaxation exercises, lyrics discussion, listening to directed music, singing/toning, moving to music, video recording and creation, and lessons on adapted ...
- 10.3390/ijerph20043200
- 2023/02
A type of music therapy that is used specifically in palliative care is called music-thanatology. Specialists in this field closely observe their patients’ vital signs and tailor their music to the situation to ease symptoms like pain, labored breathing and sleeplessness. A music-thanatologist typically uses a harp and their voice to provide ...
