Music therapy can be an essential part of the daily routine of Alzheimer’s patients. The sound of familiar music evokes memories and engages the senses. As dementia patients experience difficulty with language, music can evoke strong emotional responses. The sound of familiar melodies can bring back memories, and it can also reduce agitation. Here are some examples of the ways music therapy can help your loved one with dementia. To learn more about the benefits of dementia music therapy, read on!
The prevalence of dementia is on the rise alongside the overall ageing of the population. There is a strong correlation between dementia and behavioural disorders, and many people living with dementia struggle with upsetting behavioural symptoms. The cognitive benefits of music, the effectiveness of music therapy in resolving behavioural issues, as well as the potential harmful consequences of the therapy, are all taken into consideration in this review. A promising therapeutic option for dementia is music therapy since it can be easily provided, it can be done so at a reasonably low cost, and there is very little chance of patients being harmed by it. Even though there have only been a few studies done, the outcomes so far look encouraging.
The benefits of music therapy on patients with dementia who were experiencing depressed symptoms were investigated in another study. Researchers discovered that music therapy helped dementia patients enhance their cognitive function and experienced a reduction in long-term despair. However, the findings of this study do not provide conclusive evidence and call for additional research. The quality of life of dementia patients may also be improved by the use of music therapy. The benefit was only observed for a brief period of time, but the researchers are unsure how long music therapy will continue to be effective. This effect on dementia sufferers ought to be examined in a subsequent study.
Research indicates that this intervention is not an appropriate treatment for mild or moderate dementia, despite the fact that it shows promise for Alzheimer’s patients who are experiencing a wide variety of symptoms. Patients suffering from severe dementia are not candidates for this treatment. The effectiveness of this method in enhancing cognitive function is contingent on the level of cognitive function as well as the quality of life. In addition to that, it might have certain undesirable consequences on the body. Before beginning any kind of intervention including music therapy, a proper diagnosis and treatment should be carried out first. This is the case with any other kind of therapy as well.
Music with the onset of dementia: It is not a simple undertaking to comprehend how music influences the deteriorating state of the brain. Even if the illness does not cause death, it might have a significant impact on general understanding. For example, Clive had difficulty remembering the piano compositions he had worked on in the past. Clive continued to be able to recognise and play his pieces of music, despite the fact that they were difficult to read because of the affects of his dementia.