Description of the Media Piece
On September 3, 2022, Medical News Today published a blog entry by Jessica Freeborn titled “Music therapy improves well-being in people with dementia and caregivers,” which was fact-checked by Ferdinand Lali, Ph.D. This article offers a perceptive look at a recent study that looks at the advantages of music therapy for those who have dementia and the people who care for them (Freeborn, 2022). It shows that this non-pharmacological intervention can improve social connections and lessen caregiver discomfort. You can read the entire article here.
The first section of the essay places dementia patients’ struggles in perspective and emphasizes how the illness affects social interaction, memory, and communication. According to definitions, dementia is a broad set of disorders affecting cognitive skills, which makes it more difficult for people with dementia to engage with their environment and keep up connections with caregivers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which classifies dementia as a general term covering a range of illnesses that affect thinking, memory, and decision-making, is cited in the article.
The article’s primary source is a research that looked into the effects of a music therapy intervention called “musical bridges to memory” (MBM), which was published in Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders. The goals of this intervention were to lessen stress and increase social interaction in dementia patients and their carers. Over the course of a 12-week trial, live music sessions, caregiver education, and interactive follow-up sessions led by music therapists were implemented at two memory care facilities.
Notable changes were observed in the nonverbal social behaviors of participants in the intervention group, including maintaining eye contact, demonstrating attention, concentrating, and exhibiting tranquility. When compared to the control group, who did not get the same intervention, these behaviors were noticeably improved. Participants in the intervention group’s caregivers reported lower stress levels and better communication skills, which enhanced the general quality of their interactions.
Expert commentary is provided in this article by Dr. Bethany Cook, PsyD, a board-certified music therapist and clinical psychologist, and Scott Horowitz, LPC, a licensed professional counselor and clinical assistant professor at Drexel University. Despite not being engaged in the study, both experts offered insightful feedback on the ways in which music therapy can help individuals with dementia. According to Horowitz, positive reactions can be elicited by listening to personally significant music because sensory experiences associated with memories are preserved even in cases where other cognitive functions are compromised. Dr. Cook underlined the value of choosing music that the person suffering from dementia enjoyed listening to in their early years because these ingrained memories are less likely to be impacted as the dementia advances.
The article also discusses the study’s shortcomings, including the small sample size, the brief intervention period, and the impossibility to perform a blind study or randomly assign individuals. These characteristics suggest that in order to generalize the findings, further thorough research is required. Nonetheless, the presence of a control group offered a benchmark for assessing the efficacy of the intervention.
Notwithstanding these drawbacks, the study’s initial findings provide encouraging proof that music therapy can enhance social interaction and lessen stress in dementia patients as well as in their carers. The principal author of the study, Dr. Borna Bondkarpour, an associate professor of neurology at Northwestern Medicine, expressed hope for further research that will be supported by a three-year National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant. The objective of this next study is to corroborate the reported psychological advantages by using physiological measurements and replicating the results with a bigger sample size.
Adding New Knowledge to Course Learnings
Building on the fundamental knowledge from class, this media piece greatly expands our awareness of the function that music therapy plays in the care of individuals with dementia. Although the fundamentals of music therapy and its broad benefits for a range of clinical populations were addressed in our course, this article offers particular insights into its use for dementia patients, emphasizing workable interventions and tangible results.
The importance of playing music that has special meaning for the person suffering from dementia is one of the main lessons learned. This method aligns with our class argument on the importance of individualized treatment plans in therapeutic settings. The idea that music associated with early life can awaken intense memories and feelings subtly contributes to our comprehension since it highlights the close affiliation between memory and music.
The systematic approach of the study, which integrates ongoing communication, caregiver instruction, and interactive music sessions, offers a tangible demonstration of how music therapy can be included into dementia care protocols. This comprehensive intervention paradigm expands our comprehension outside theoretical applications by illustrating how, in real-life situations, music therapy can facilitate social interaction and lessen caregiver stress.
The article provides novel insights into the benefits of music therapy, namely its possible to improve the peacefulness and nonverbal communication of individuals with dementia. Although not thoroughly discussed in our course, these results are essential for improving patients’ and caregivers’ quality of life. Realizing these particular advantages facilitates recognizing the diverse effects of music therapy.
In summary, this media presentation offers a comprehensive and in-depth exploration of how music therapy can effectively enhance the well-being of individuals with dementia and their caregivers. It effectively connects the theoretical principles taught in academic settings with practical and applicable real-life scenarios.
Personal Thoughts, Feelings, and Reactions
The essay provides a comprehensive and comforting account of the benefits of music therapy for individuals with dementia and their caregivers. The findings are deemed trustworthy due to their accuracy and alignment with the knowledge acquired thus far in the course. I find the comprehensive elucidation of the “musical bridges to memory” intervention intriguing since it presents a pragmatic and feasible approach to utilizing music therapy in the treatment of individuals with dementia.
An intriguing part of the article is its emphasis on integrating music from the patients’ developmental years. This technique demonstrates the strong connection between music and memory and is backed by professional opinions. It was intriguing to learn of instances where popular songs elicited significant emotional and social responses, such as individuals finding their life partners as their wedding song was playing. These stories eloquently illustrate how music has a unique power to evoke deep-seated feelings and memories that other therapeutic techniques might be unable to.
Although I agree with the article’s generally optimistic viewpoint, I’m interested in learning more about the interventions’ long-term consequences. The authors acknowledge the trial’s limitations, which included a 12-week duration and a small sample size. However, I would be curious to examine the long-term effects of sustained music therapy on patients. Additionally, investigating if various musical genres or styles might produce differing outcomes could offer still another level of comprehension to this topic. The essay concludes by reiterating music therapy’s potential as a formidable dementia care intervention. The valuable insights and hopeful results of this study align with scholarly understanding, providing a compelling argument for integrating music therapy into standard dementia treatment protocols. The personal narratives and professional opinions in the narrative provide compelling evidence supporting the need for additional research and implementation of music therapy in clinical settings, hence strengthening the argument
