Horowitz explained that taking into account personal preferences is a critical component of music therapy:. The intervention included training for caregivers, live minute concerts, and breakout sessions following the concerts. Music therapists encouraged interaction during the concerts and facilitated follow-up in the breakout sessions.

Researchers then conducted follow-up assessments using a neuropsychiatric symptoms questionnaire, evaluating behaviors, and getting feedback from caregivers. Among the intervention group, there were better forms of nonverbal sociable behaviors when compared to the control group.

For example, participants with dementia demonstrated eye contact with caregivers, interest, focus, and calmness. Caregivers further reported decreased levels of stress regarding the symptoms of their loved ones.

Caregivers also noted that the program helped them connect with their loved ones and improve the quality of their relationships. Study author and neurologist Dr. Borna Bondkarpour , an associate professor of neurology at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, noted the highlights of their findings to MNT :.

It can also decrease stress levels in care partners. The study provides evidence that music intervention is helpful to both people with dementia and their caregivers.

However, the study also had several limitations. However, having a control group was helpful in evaluating the results. The control group was only from one of the two memory care facilities, which may have impacted the results. The study only lasted 12 weeks, so the long-term effects of the intervention were not evaluated.

The sample size was fairly small, so more data is needed before experts can make generalizations. Study authors note that evaluation scales more specific to musical bridges to memory may be helpful in future research.

They also point out that participants with dementia did not have high levels of unsociable behaviors like aggression at baseline.

Still, Dr. Bonakdapour was enthusiastic about continuing research in this area. He laid out the following steps in the research:.

We also need to show look into some physiologic measures to confirm that this effect has biological and not only psychological effects on patients and caregivers. Borna Bondkarpour, neurologist, associate professor of neurology at Northwestern Medicine, and study author. Based on overall results, this intervention could benefit both people with dementia and their caregivers, improving well-being outcomes for everyone involved.

Music therapy could even become a more central treatment option in the future. It should not be seen as adjunctive or secondary but as essential and primary in the care of older adults. It is essential and in some ways offers something that no other treatment can.

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Medical News Today. Health Conditions Health Products Discover Tools Connect. When we listen to music, many different areas of the brain light up, including those responsible for memory, emotion, and movement. Music therapy is simply a meaningful and positive way to engage all of these brain regions, helping to stimulate cognitive function, improve mood, and even alleviate pain.

Research has shown that music therapy can improve cognitive function and provide relief for other symptoms of neurological impairment. One study found that music therapy effectively improves memory, alleviates confusion, and facilitates speech in individuals with Alzheimer's disease.

In some circumstances, music can be even more effective than certain medical interventions like medication. For many years, researchers have been fascinated by the pain-relieving effects of music.

Though we are still determining the exact ways music accomplishes this analgesic effect, we know that it is real. Mental health is a common challenge for people living with any form of dementia.

Thankfully, music therapy can also reduce agitation and anxiety. Caregivers benefit, too. Music therapy not only helps reduce stress on the person with dementia but also the people caring for them, whether that be in-home care providers or family members.

When people with dementia can focus, communicate, and engage calmly, caring for them can be more of an overall positive experience. A study published in The Gerontologist found that music therapy improves social interaction and communication in individuals with dementia. Communication barriers can be taxing on both the person with dementia and their loved ones.

Music therapy can be enjoyed in a variety of ways, including listening to old favorites through headphones, singing, playing instruments, and even improvising. Music that reminds them of their youth or cultural heritage may be particularly effective in stirring memories and emotions.

If you are caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's disease, consider incorporating music therapy into their care plan. Here are some tips:. Find your nearest ComForCare location to learn more! News and Information. Joyful Memories: How Music Therapy Helps Seniors with Dementia.

Posted: March 21 , in Activities and Lifestyle , Alzheimer's and Dementia. How Does Music Therapy Help People with Dementia? Facilitates Cognitive Function Research has shown that music therapy can improve cognitive function and provide relief for other symptoms of neurological impairment.

Many caregivers also use music as a redirection to set moods and reduce restlessness in older adults. Music is a powerful tool in the fight to prevent cognitive decline when used strategically as part of therapy or just as an everyday pleasure. This is because the areas of the brain which are crucial to retaining music memory are relatively unaffected by the disease.

Therefore, playing music allows us to provide emotional and behavioural support, such as stress relief, reduced anxiety and depression, and decreased agitation. Caregivers can use music to keep a positive environment for their patients and create a connection between them with the outside world, especially for those who have difficulty communicating due to the disease.

In short, you can use music to help increase the levels of physical, mental, and emotional functioning in older adults. Here are eight ways you can use music to enhance the life of your loved one:. Remember — sharing music is a loving experience that will strengthen bonds between you and your loved one.

CareHop specializes in providing professional in-home elder care services. We offer everything from reliable nursing care to help with day-to-day duties, such as homemaking and meal preparation , personal care , casual companionship , and more.

Our goal is to keep your older adult happy, engaged, and supported under any circumstances, while taking all the work and worry away about elder care from you. If you have any questions about our customized personal care services, please reach out to us anytime.

Michael Lu is the founder of CareHop. He started the business inspired by his Grandmother to look at ageing as a happy experience to bring sunshine into the homes of others.

Create a playlist: Are there any particular favourite songs that would evoke recollections of happy times? Solicit help from friends and family to create a custom playlist for your loved one.

Use music to elicit a response: Music can set a particular mood by matching the right songs to a specific activity. The researchers had a group of older adults between the ages of 54 and 89 from the Boston area listen to a playlist for an hour every day for eight weeks and journal about their response to the music afterward.

Participants would then rate each song based on how much they liked it and how familiar it was. Music that was both familiar and well-liked tended to activate the auditory and reward areas more. However, the music that participants selected themselves provided an even stronger connection between these two areas of the brain.

Loui hopes this study, which is one of the first to document neurological changes from extended exposure to music-based intervention, could have a significant impact in a field that has quickly risen in prominence. The panel ultimately formed recommendations for how people ages 50 and over can incorporate music into their lives to promote mental wellness.

Moving forward, Loui hopes to extend her study to older adults who have cognitive and neurodegenerative disorders, people who might benefit even more from the effects of music therapy.

For media inquiries , please contact Marirose Sartoretto at m. sartoretto northeastern.

The music, which ranges from jazz to rock to classical, elicits surprising reactions. Some people, who had seemed unable to speak, proceed to sing and dance to the music, and others are able to recount when and where they had listened to that music.

The music seems to open doors to the residents' memory vaults. There is a growing body of evidence to explain why people in the movie come back to life and begin to feel like there former selves when they listen to their playlists. Listening to and performing music reactivates areas of the brain associated with memory, reasoning, speech, emotion, and reward.

Two recent studies—one in the United States and the other in Japan—found that music doesn't just help us retrieve stored memories, it also helps us lay down new ones.

In both studies, healthy elderly people scored better on tests of memory and reasoning after they had completed several weekly classes in which they did moderate physical exercise to musical accompaniment.

Researchers at the music and neuro-imaging laboratory at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have shown that singing lyrics can be especially helpful to people who are recovering from a stroke or brain injury that has damaged the left-brain region responsible for speech. Because singing ability originates in the undamaged right side of the brain, people can learn to speak their thoughts by singing them first and gradually dropping the melody.

Former Representative Gabrielle Giffords used this technique to learn to speak well enough to testify before a Congressional committee two years after a gunshot wound to her brain destroyed her ability to speak. Singing has also helped healthy people learn words and phrases faster.

To witness music therapy at work, go to the website of the Music and Memory Foundation, musicandmemory. org , and see what happens to one nursing home resident, Henry, as he listens to his music. You can also learn more about the movement that Dan Cohen has started and find out how you can get involved.

And if you are caring for—or care about—someone with mild cognitive impairment or dementia, I guarantee it will inspire you to get an MP3 player and create a playlist for that person!

It may also inspire you to make one for yourself, as well. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.

Thanks for visiting. Don't miss your FREE gift. They can involve singing or instruments and musical ability does not determine the effectiveness of the treatment but rather, genuine expression in the moment does. In the hands of an educated music professional who knows how to use it, music can do amazing things.

Mount Desert Island Hospital shares this belief in the value of Music Therapy to treat a variety of mental and physical conditions.

With the help of programs like that at Birch Bay Retirement Village, the hope is that this treatment will become more mainstream and accessible and affordable to all who can benefit from treatment. Melissa Violette is a certified Music Therapist at Birch Bay Retirement Village and MDI Hospital using research and evidence-based musical intervention to achieve individualized goals that improve the life and the functioning of patients.

She recently became a Neurological Music Therapist, mastering 20 new techniques that can be used to address language, memory, attention, motor control, emotions, perception, and executive functioning.

In addition to practicing Music Therapy, Melissa also runs the only Music Therapy internship program in the state of Maine, sponsoring four interns per year to help develop the profession and treatment she so strongly believes in. Melissa was recently featured on our new podcast series, to listen, visit our Island Health Podcast page.

At Mount Desert Island Hospital, we provide comprehensive care for you and your family through our hospital in Bar Harbor and a network of health centers across Mount Desert Island. In short, you can use music to help increase the levels of physical, mental, and emotional functioning in older adults.

Here are eight ways you can use music to enhance the life of your loved one:. Remember — sharing music is a loving experience that will strengthen bonds between you and your loved one.

CareHop specializes in providing professional in-home elder care services. We offer everything from reliable nursing care to help with day-to-day duties, such as homemaking and meal preparation , personal care , casual companionship , and more.

Our goal is to keep your older adult happy, engaged, and supported under any circumstances, while taking all the work and worry away about elder care from you. If you have any questions about our customized personal care services, please reach out to us anytime. Michael Lu is the founder of CareHop.

He started the business inspired by his Grandmother to look at ageing as a happy experience to bring sunshine into the homes of others. Create a playlist: Are there any particular favourite songs that would evoke recollections of happy times? Solicit help from friends and family to create a custom playlist for your loved one.