Music Therapy for Dementia: A Band-Aid, Not a Cure
How many people do you know who have a family member living with dementia? Do you yourself? If you said yes to either of these questions, you know how tough it can be to witness a loved one experience symptoms such as memory loss, communication problems, decreased coordination, and disorientation. And it’s likely that you did say yes because tens of millions of people currently live with dementia. Dementia is a disorder that I have a personal connection with. My grandmother, Tara, lived with dementia for many years until the end of her life. A musician, she loved listening to music, playing for the whole family, and singing during most of my childhood until the disease left her unable to play or speak. Despite having a severely detrimental impact on an incredible percentage of our global population, no cure has been identified to date. While treatments for symptomatic effects do exist in order to ensure the best quality of life for those living with the disease, the search for non-pharmacological methods of therapy are currently being investigated by researchers.
Music therapy is a popular method of symptomatic treatment for various cognitive disorders. Music therapists say that the healing power of music goes back to Ancient Greece, where music was believed to be healing for patients experiencing mania and depression, as well as for those experiencing hangovers from alcohol. Medical professionals at major institutions such as Massachusetts General Hospital believe in the healing power of music to restore stroke victim’s speech loss and to improve the outcomes of surgical procedures. Vibroacoustic therapy methods are typically used to ease Parkinson’s disease symptoms by playing sound at a very low frequency in order to transfer similar vibrations to the nervous system. Student-led organizations at the University of Maryland such as Vintage Voices believe in the nostalgic power of music therapy and implement these practices by traveling to local nursing homes and assisted living homes to sing songs from previous decades for the residents. Music seemingly can assist in a multitude of healing acts, but it does not seem plausible to count on it as a potential cure for the seemingly incurable.
It is important to consider the problems that have yet to be properly addressed within the field of music therapy. The interventions used by music therapists vary and may include learning to play instruments, singing, or listening to music. Of course, this may be based on the music therapy method that the trained professional identifies is best for their client, just as many traditional therapists do their in their practices, but how are these methods of intervention standardized for research-based care? Moreover, do we really know what we are subjecting people to who may not enjoy a certain genre or modality of music when making them listen to or play it under the pretense of healing?
In an article by Brancatisano, Baird, and Thompson of Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, the researchers identified several aspects of music that may allow it to act as a healing mechanism for dementia patients.
1. The first of these categories is the fact that music is engaging, meaning that it activates many neural pathways. It is a widely enjoyed artform because of its versatility, meaning that people may also be more willing to attentively participate in the therapeutic aspect of it.
2. Music also engages our emotions, meaning that it can help to reconnect people with emotional expression and avoid apathy.
3. Music typically makes us experience movement naturally, which may encourage those with neurological deficits to engage in physical acts. By encouraging exercise in any form, music may indirectly be impacting mood and cognition.
4. Synchronization requires many different cognitive activations, especially when considering the experiences of those living with dementia. Engaging in simultaneous acts such as speaking and moving requires much more focus, but this may be alleviated by the act of listening to music while engaging in other activities.
5. The personal aspect of music is extremely important. Many people understand themselves strongly through the music they enjoy and listening to music that we listened to during significant moments of our lives can help us to relive those times. It is extremely plausible that playing music from significant moments in the lives of dementia patients may help them to regain their sense of self. Being moved into a care facility may be daunting and even frightening for dementia patients, and music may be a tool to soothe the person and provide them with something from their previously familiar environment.
6. Going off of this point, experiencing dementia can be incredibly isolating, but music is so often a social activity. Activities related to music may allow dementia patients to meet new people, identify similar interests, and engage in a more active lifestyle. These acts are likely to improve mood and their outlook on the world.
7. Finally, music is persuasive. We see this everywhere. In commercials, music convinces us to buy a product or support a brand without our conscious knowledge. Music is even used in the country’s presidential election campaigns to send a message about their interests and relatability. As a therapy modality, it is much easier to convince someone to engage in a familiar, destigmatized method of healing. While there is still stigmatization about traditional talk therapy methods, music therapy may bridge that gap.
The researchers in this study wanted to better understand these capacities of music as they relate to dementia patients, and developed the Music, Mind, and Movement (MMM) Program. This seven-session program engages all of the aforementioned seven capacities of music in an active format and focused on embedding music modalities that were preferred by the participants according to their reports. Participants of their study of this intervention’s effectiveness were recruited from an aged care facility, and all had either a clinical diagnosis or a significant indication of possible dementia. Of the participants, about half engaged in the intervention at an early intervention stage, while the second group was given the standard care offered by the facility until the first group had finished the MMM intervention. Incredibly, the researchers found that the first group’s cognitive functioning scores increased over time, while the second group’s decreased. The researchers found that this result was particularly related to the patients’ ability to verbalize and remain attentive during tasks.
These results are, frankly, incredible. This intervention, which addresses all seven characteristics of the benefits of music and encourages therapists to utilize music modalities that are preferred by the participants, does have an impact on certain aspects of dementia care. However, it is still working to improve the impact of symptoms of dementia, rather than acting as a completely curative intervention. As we continue to research this field, it will be interesting to see if we can find the perfect recipe for music as a non-invasive therapy method. If my grandma could see the amazing effects that it has had for so many people, I am sure she would be fighting for further research in this field, as should we all.
Brancatisano, O., Baird, A., & Thompson, W. F. (2019). A ‘Music, Mind and Movement’ program for people with dementia: Initial evidence of improved cognition. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01435
