Review of “Dementia and the Power of Music Therapy,” by Steve Mathews
In his article, “Dementia and the Power of Music Therapy,” Steve Mathews discusses the benefits music therapy brings to the social agency aspect of those suffering from dementia. His approach, while scientific, brings about a humanitarian aspect that reminds us the importance of being able to see those suffering from a mental illness as people with a voice that needs to be heard. Mathews states his two purposes for discussing music therapy. One reason is that it is “the most common of the art therapies (and there is a growing body of evidence for its effectiveness),” (Mathews 574); and secondly, it is a less expensive form of treatment that makes it practicable (Mathews 574). This is important that a therapy be found to be effective and accessible as Mathews also stated that dementia is an ever increasing disease. For example, Mathews claims that dementia is “now the third highest impost on the national health budget in Australia, after cardiovascular disease and cancer,” (574).
One of Mathews focuses is on narrative social agency in dementia. Relationships between humans decreases in those with dementia due to losing “their story,” (Mathews 575). Each person has a story filled with memories that affect our responses to society. When these begin to diminish, interactions with society do as well and like a domino effect, so do societies’ perceptions as valuing these people as social agents. Music therapy however, “has the effect of ringing those who engage in it back into the social place, back to where they once were as recognizable, and recognized, social agents, fit for the development of relationships with carers, and reprisal of relationships with loved ones,” (Mathews 575).
Mathews proceeds to support this argument by providing an example of a man by the name of Henry, who was suffering from severe dementia. After being provided music he was familiar with from his past, this once barely responsive man, began to move and verbally communicate, with a positive altered countenance (Mathews 575). Mathews claims that the thesis that might give reason to such a response to music as Henry’s, is the idea that there is a functional system within the brain that has laid dormant. However, music exercises this system, bringing it to action and perhaps slowing the progress of dementia (Mathews 576). Mathews refers to a music therapy model cited by Lucanne and Bailey in which a three-stage process exists. There is a contact stage which involves building a relationship between therapist and patient (578). An awareness stage involves addressing the patient’s needs through a specific music choice and the last stage regards dissipating any tensions that began which motivated it in the beginning (Mathews 578). This is how music brought Henry back to himself and into a world of interactions.
While the aforesaid is all interesting information, we cannot leave it at that. Mathews takes his article one step further by presenting an idea of “re-working the social environment of dementia care,” (578). Mathews refers to Kitwood and Bredin who discuss the idea of “rementia,” (578). When patients connect to the past through familiar music, they regain “personal worth, a sense of agency, social confidence, and hope” (Mathews 578). By providing a program of activities, especially with music, not only does the well-being of dementia patients improve, but the well-being of caretakers as well. Mathews claims, “The anecdotal evidence shows that those engaged in the delivery of music therapy experience relatively high levels of worker satisfaction,” (579). In conclusion, it is my personal opinion that it would seem a waste to not bring music to nursing facilities or any care system for those with dementia. Stories, such as Henry’s, appear to be enough evidence to begin implementing this form of therapy to more extreme levels of treatment in order to attempt bringing back an awareness to oneself and simply opening a door to life again.
Works Cited
Matthews, Steve. “Dementia and the Power of Music Therapy.” Bioethics, vol. 29, no. 8, Oct. 2015, pp. 573–579. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/bioe.12148.
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Review of “Effects of Music on Agitation in Dementia: A Meta-Analysis,” by Pedersen, Siv K. A. et al.
Music can link a person to memory in a very powerful way. So how does it affect people suffering from memory loss? Can it be useful in the medical field? This blog is about an article that we can find helpful in relation to these questions. We learn, that it is common in our day and age, to resort to medications for resolving health issues. While personally, I believe this is good, it is also good that today, people are beginning to look to other sources as a means of improving one’s cognitive functioning. Music therapy is one of those sources. It is a means by which music is being used as a tool to assist people in their cognitive, behavioral, and emotional functions. It is a new field in which research is not all together large in comparison to other topics of research. Nonetheless, researchers are discovering the benefits of music therapy. We learn all this information through the article, “Effects of Music on Agitation in Dementia: A Meta-Analysis.”
As the title of the article suggests, we are given knowledge on a research project that provides information regarding whether or not music therapy can be used as a means to reduce agitation for people diagnosed with dementia. We learn that music therapy can be applied multiple ways: through individual therapy, group therapy, personally chosen music, passive listening, and more. Through using multiple methods of music therapy, a meta-analysis was conducted for the following as stated in the article: “(1) investigate whether music therapy is an effective intervention for reducing agitated behaviors in dementia,…(2) compare personalized and group interventions,…(3) assess the effect of music preference by comparing music based on the patient’s preference with music without prior consulting of patients or caregivers, and,….(4) compare benefits of active vs. passive music intervention.”
What were the results? The article claims that a positive 95 % of individual and group studies indicated musical intervention as a means for lowering levels of agitation in those with dementia. In answer to the other three questions, music therapy with a 1:1 intervention strategy had a higher heterogeneity (57.87%) than that of a group intervention. Music used to fit a patient’s preference was also not as high as personalized intervention but still remained higher than prescribed music (28.37%). Lastly, passive music intervention ranked higher (70.73%) than active.
This article is chalked full with heavily detailed and lengthy statistical information regarding research on this topic as well as information regarding the need for further research to form an even more in-depth accurate approach. Regardless, I believe there is enough evidence to cause those in the medical field to discover ways to approach mental health treatment not just solely through medication. We can see that music therapy is a powerful tool, linking people with dementia to memories and emotions that can create perhaps for a moment, an awareness of oneself or gain some ability to communicate that may have been lost otherwise.
It is my personal opinion that medication is by all means important when regarding one’s mental health. It is also my belief that those in the medical field have a responsibility to creating not just easy fixes but being open to other sources that can naturally aide in health. This article proves that music is one of the sources. Thus, it is my hope that music therapy will become more accessible as a treatment for cognitive and emotional health.
Works Cited:
Pedersen, Siv K. A. et al. “Effects of Music on Agitation in Dementia: A Meta-Analysis.” Frontiers in Psychology 8 (2017): 742. PMC. Web. 7 Sept. 2018.
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Review of “Music-evoked emotions: principles, brain correlates, and implications for therapy,” by Stefan Koelsch
In the article, “Music-evoked emotions: principles, brain correlates, and implications for therapy,” Stefan Koelsch explores the wide variety of emotions that are “evoked” rather than intentionally caused by music therapy, (193). Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias are not a prevalent subject in this article. However, while individuals with these diseases have a tendency to low spirits and moments of isolation, this article remains vital by informing it’s readers what emotions result from music and how they result; thus allowing us to learn how to apply music therapy effectively in dealing with Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
Sixty-five percent of the “episodes” used in a experience-sampling method of a musical study revealed emotion that was “evoked” from music. Some of the emotions produced were: to have company, to gain energy, for relaxation, etc. Regarding music therapy stimulating emotions, the article refers to two authors, Scherer and Zentner, in which it notes that evaluation stimuli or “appraisal processes” are independent facets of each other. In other words, music stimulates through not just melody, but it’s structure, it’s social relation, it’s functioning, it’s quality, etc.
This article covers a lot of ground in the various effects music has on emotions. We will focus on a few that I believe could be applied to those with demented related diseases (Koelsch 194).
Melody and Song Structure
“Emotional cognition” is a term used to describe the process in which an individual internally mimics an emotional expression. The article provides an example of how an upbeat, joyful piece of music might be mimicked in the listener’s behavior through “smiling, vocalization, and/or bouncing,” (Koelsch 195). In essence, a hear emotion could produce a visible emotion in the listener. We also learn that music can be linked to certain contexts in which it produces empathy and self-awareness (Koelsch 195).
Furthermore, we are informed of the structure of music. Notes follow a pattern, as well as chords. There is a predictability that may or may not occur, thus determining the “tonal structure” of a piece and the tension that may decrease if strong or increase if weak (Koelsch 196).
Memory
Music is very much a key to the past. We find this out as the article acknowledges that using music can stimulize emotions through their being connected to a memory of an event. That said event holds it’s own emotion; thus whatever piece of music that is connected to an event, can reappear in the memory of the emotion. As the article states, “Emotions…can be memorized,” (Koelsch 195). It is on this topic that Koelsch briefly states the observation of therapists who are noting that the preservation of musical memory has positive effects on people with Alzheimer’s disease (Koelsch 196). Koelsch does not give us any specific details as they claim this is something that has lacked sufficient testing.
Social Contact
The article notes the importance of social functioning as Koelsch claims the lack of it can effect health and life expectancy. However, positive emotions emerge when engaging socially (Koelsch 198). Music is another means of social functioning. It involves the possibility for empathy, contains communication, uses physical coordination, etc. In other words, music helps bring about social awareness (Koelsch 198). For instance, Koelsch discusses how social contact with individuals creating music engages the functioning of the anterior frontomedian cortex , temporal poles, and the superior temporal sulcus of the brain; thus allowing the individual to explore the intentions, emotions, and other facets of other individuals (Koelsch 198). Furthermore, synchronization is interestingly, a means of building trust and cooperation. Identical motions can create a feeling of “group identity,” (Koelsch 198).
Music is a therapy in many key areas of a person’s life. It has a tremendous effect as we see in the article discussion on the emotional aspect which in turn has almost a domino type effect on the physical aspect (speech and physical coordination) of individuals. In considering it’s relation to Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, personally, I find music therapy an open door to re-awakening emotions that have laid dormant and the mind that has felt isolated.
The article was engaging as it contained numerous facts about each emotional aspect that music can produce. This blog does not contain even one quarter of the article’s content however. Koelsch appears positive in regard to one’s relation to music therapy and its emotional effects, even though he claims, more than once, the lack of sufficient research on some topics. However, this article is hopefully the beginning of bringing awareness to the vitality of music therapy and the interest in further research.
Works Cited:
Koelsch, Stefan. “Music-Evoked Emotions: Principles, Brain Correlates, and Implications for Therapy.” Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, vol. 1337, no. 1, Mar. 2015, pp. 193–201. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/nyas.12684.
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A Review of “The use of extemporizing in music therapy to facilitate communication in a person with dementia: An explorative case study,” by Hanne Mette Ridder and Elisabeth Gummesen
In their article, “The use of extemporizing in music therapy to facilitate communication in a person with dementia: An explorative case study,” Hanne Mette Ridder and Elisabeth Gummesen state, “Communication is essential for human beings…Music is powerful when it comes to facilitating recognizable forms and to engage in mutual interaction,” (24). In the article, we consider several methods of music therapy that prove beneficial to treating the common symptoms of dementia: amnesia, apraxia, agnosia, and aphasia. Ridder and Gummesen discuss the three improvisational methods: mirroring, matching, and empathic improvisation. Mirroring is a means of therapy in which client and therapist are communicating through body language as the therapist mimics the musical and expressive behaviors of the client. It allows for “fine-tuning interpersonal interactions” of two people’s behavior (Ridder and Gummesen 11). Matching mimics only style and quality but leaves room for individuality. Noting other research, the article claims that this method is “one of the most valuable of all improvisational methods,” (Ridder and Gummesen 11). Lastly, empathic improvisation is a method that improvises music based upon the emotional condition of the client. It may mimic his/her emotion as a support system rather than taking a counteractive approach to the emotion. This involves being aware of the client’s demeanor as a means of communication (his/her posture, attitude, etc.) (Ridder and Gummesen 8).
Ridder and Gummesen also share a case study that was conducted to explore how music therapy effects communication for a person diagnosed with dementia and aphasia (Ridder and Gummesen 14). In regards to the client’s physical and emotional condition, we learn that The 64 year old client, Knud, was diagnosed with dementia. His language was limited to a simple phrase and a few words (aphasia) (Ridder and Gummesen 14). He could not take care of himself physically due to apraxia (Ridder and Gummesen 14). He did not appear to recognize people (amnesia) (Ridder and Gummesen 15). His behavior was “intimidating,” (Ridder and Gummesen 15). He also lacked receiving visitors and possibly lacked a good social network. He loved music and would participate in sing-alongs (Ridder and Gummesen 15).
The music therapy sessions were conducted over a period of 14 weeks. In an attempt to learn how to to create a means of communication with the client in order to assist his psychosocial needs, the therapist broke her therapy up into four different phases (Ridder and Gummesen 16). For the first two weeks, the therapist assessed the means of interacting with music that the client best responded to. For example, listening to music, playing instruments, drawing to music, etc. (Ridder and Gummesen 16). The following four weeks consisted of listening to the client’s favorite music and turn-taking (“the one part waits until the other has finished playing and herby gives the turn to the other” (Ridder and Gummesen 10)). Weeks 7-10 consisted of singing together, while weeks 11-14 continued listening and singing (Ridder and Gummesen 17).
The assesment of Knud revealed that his communication level grew as the sessions progressed. Knud was not always interested in some of the activities (for instance, drawing when listening to music). However, he showed response through smiling humming, tapping, etc. (Ridder and Gummesen 16). The therapist also heard new vocabulary from Knud. Knud, eventually joined in singing with the therapist and continued tapping to the rhythm of the music. Nearing the end of the sessions, Knud even began to show initiative as a result turn-taking in which client and therapist would take turns singing a stanza or tapping rhythms (Ridder and Gummesen 17). Though not at a high level of verbal communication, Knud was still able to have contact through attention to music and sharing emotions (Ridder and Gummesen 17).
What we learn through this article is that music therapy, as applied in an extemporizing manner, proves successful in aiding a person with dementia in gaining a sense of individuality through familiarity. Mirroring and matching also contribute themselves as a means of aiding an individual’s level of expression and communication. As Ridder and Gummesen conclude, “Musical improvisation may enhance free expression, and the improvisation technique extemporization may be specifically important in people with moderate/sever dementia and aphasia, as it takes a starting point in preferred musical material and well-known musical forms,” (24).
I appreciate how Ridder and Gummesen organize their information in a clear, concise manner. They italicize and use bold font to emphasize importance or organize information into categories. Often times, when dealing with medical terminology or methods of treatment, words can become complex and difficult to understand. Ridder and Gummesen, while fully academic in their approach toward music therapy and dementia, relay information in a very simple and understandable manner. With the knowledge of Ridder and Gummesen, as well as many others like them, I believe we have enough information to learn just exactly how important music therapy is in improving social, communicative, and emotional functioning in those with dementia.
Works Cited
Mette Ridder, Hanne, and Elisabeth Gummesen. “The Use of Extemporizing in Music Therapy to Facilitate Communication in a Person with Dementia: An Explorative Case Study.” Australian Journal of Music Therapy, vol. 26, July 2015, pp. 6–29. EBSCOhost, libproxy.cortland.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=110306376&site=eds-live.
Music Therapy and Its Benefits to Alzheimer's 