How Does Music Therapy Help The Elderly?

Introduction

The elderly are one of the most vulnerable populations in the world. Often, their quality of life is compromised by physical limitations, cognitive impairment, social isolation, and loneliness. As they grow older, their needs for healthcare become more complicated and expensive.

Music therapy is one treatment that may help to prevent or alleviate these challenges faced by elderly patients nearing the end-of-life phase of their lives. Music therapy utilizes music as a treatment modality to address an individual’s deficits in areas such as cognition and perception, motor function or speech language difficulties with purposeful activity or participation in meaningful life activities.

Music therapy may address depression, sensory loss and physical debilitation. It can be used to improve communication and reduce or eliminate pain (Savage 2002). Research has documented that music-assisted therapy can be an effective intervention for elder patients suffering from dementia, depression, and other cognitive ailments (Carr 2000). Music therapists use various interventions to help older patients with dementia to increase the quality of their lives.

Music therapy is the nonverbal form of communication that has been passed down through generations. According to Kottman (1999), music has a tremendous healing capacity because it is a universal language that can connect people no matter what culture they belong to.

Music Therapy Studies

The effects of music therapy have been recognized in hospitals and nursing homes, hospice centers, and other healthcare facilities. The positive effects of music therapy have been documented in experimental research studies, clinical practice guidelines, and quality improvement initiatives. The use of music with older adults has been found to be very effective in helping to reduce depression, increase physical activity, improve communication skills and reduce pain perception among the elderly population. However, due to the low awareness about this form of treatment among healthcare providers and important barriers that may hinder implementation of music therapy for the elderly in community settings, researchers are looking for further quantitative data supporting these claims.

Music therapy has been explored as a treatment for elder patients with different disorders. In one study, the positive influence of music therapy on cognition in a group of elderly dementia patients was examined. Music therapy was found to have the potential to improve verbal memory, verbal fluency, and visual- spatial organization skills in elderly dementia patients. Patients who were randomly assigned to an experimental group that performed two sessions of music and movement therapy per week over a ten-week period had better results in cognitive assessment than those who received traditional care alone. The study suggests that noninvasive brain stimulation may be used to treat cognitive impairment in older persons with dementia.

Music therapy has been used to promote general quality of life among older adults. The use of music therapy is found to improve both physical and mental health. The music therapy group was found to have an increase in the daily outdoor activities performed and an improvement in rest and mood. The Music Therapy Group had a significant decrease in depression scores after participating in the music-therapy program.

Music therapy may be used as a treatment to help overcome cognitive impairment among the elderly population. Nonverbal communication plays an important part in mental and physical functioning of the elderly population, therefore it is important for therapists working with elders to understand how music can aid communication between patients and their caregivers. Music therapy has been proven to aid in communication among elderly patients and caregivers, especially across language barriers. Research suggests that this form of therapy may help improve general functioning among elders who are experiencing cognitive decline.

Music Therapy Research Methods

Research evidence suggests that music therapy interventions can be beneficial to physical and cognitive function, communication skills and mood. Music therapy can be implemented in a variety of different settings to address needs among the elderly. In this paper, a review of the available research evidence related to music therapy with elders is presented.

Benefits Of Music Therapy For Elderly

1. Music Therapy Has Overwhelming Evidence To Suggest That It May Be A Beneficial Intervention For Elderly People

Music therapy is an important intervention that can benefit patients with dementia, mood disorders, and other conditions such as stroke. Music therapists use various interventions to help older adults with depression, dementia and other cognitive ailments. The positive effects of music therapy have been documented in experimental research studies and clinical practice guidelines.

2. Music Therapy Can Improve General Health And Behaviour Of Aging Population

Research has shown that music therapy can reduce stress levels in elderly patients by improving their daily routines. The elderly patients who took part in the music therapy program had a high concentration of the benefits of music therapy, including reduced stress levels and increased daily activities. The elderly patients that participated in the music therapy program had an increase in their overall quality of life.

3. Music Therapy Is Useful For A Variety Of Mental And Physical Health Issues In The Elderly Population

Research findings suggest that music therapy can be used to aid in improving mood disorders, communication skills and physical health among older adults. Music therapists use a variety of interventions to improve the therapeutic benefits associated with their intervention. The use of music therapy is found to help improve both physical and mental health among older adults.

4. Music Therapy Can Help Elderly Patients With Cognitive Impairment

Music therapy may be used as a treatment to help overcome cognitive impairment among the elderly population. Non-verbal communication plays an important part in mental and physical functioning of the older population. Older adults with mental decline often use music to help with communication, and can be highly beneficial in their lives. Music therapy has been proven to aid in communication among older adults and their caregivers, especially across language barriers. The elderly individuals who participated in a music therapy program exhibited significant improvements in cognitive function. Music therapists have used various interventions to promote cognition including music-listening interventions, drumming, playing instruments and singing.

5. Music Therapy Is Helpful For A Variety Of Physical Health Problems Among Older Patients

Music therapy has been proven beneficial for stroke victims as it aids in improving their physical health. Music therapy is found to promote motor skills and cognitive functioning among stroke victims. Results of a study show that music therapy can improve the post-stroke recovery of patients and improve their daily activities with non-motor disabilities.

6. Music Therapy Can Help With Communication Among The Elderly Population Who Have Different Communication Impairments

Research findings show that music therapists use music-listening interventions to help elderly patients and caregivers communicate better, especially across language barriers.

Conclusion

Music therapists work with patients that are frail and facing serious physical problems such as stroke. The music therapist will tailor the music therapy for each individual patient. The elderly population that suffer from a variety of dementia related problems also make up a big population of people who benefit from music therapy. Patients with dementia are affected by impairment of cognitive function, depression and apathy. Music therapy can be used to help improve these mental issues and promote their physical health as well. Evidence suggests that the use of music therapy can improve general functioning among elders who are experiencing cognitive decline. Music has been shown to be beneficial in improving mood among the elderly population.