Music Therapist Robin Rio says: “There are many factors that make music a natural choice in helping those with problems related to dementia. The most prominent is the way that music supports and stimulates residual memory”. Here are 5 reasons why music helps make connections in people with advanced dementia:
1. Music is used as a trigger for memories. A trigger is a question, statement, action, sound, smell that sparks a memory from the past. A flash is the memory retrieved in response to the trigger. Familiar songs can be successful triggers and help a person with dementia find a “sense of self” because memories persist when they have some personal importance. Familiar music with positive associations provides emotional safety and may trigger re-collection of neural pathways. Familiar music may trigger a sense of connection to self.
2. Music is a means of expression and non-verbal communication. The advanced stage of dementia will probably involve receptive aphasia (not understand words spoken). Verbal communication may consist of repeated words, phrases or utterances that are hard to understand or may become completely non-verbal. Music is an activity that doesn’t need words. Music-making, appreciating or responding to music through movement, motions, tears, playing an instrument helps persons with dementia express themselves and possibly make a connection to others in the process.
3. Music helps to restructure identity. Dr. Oliver Sacks, a neurologist and writer of Awakenings and Musicophilia states: “It is the inner life of music which can still make contact with their inner lives, with them; which can awaken the hidden, seemingly extinguished soul; and evoke a wholly personal response of memory, associations, feelings, images, a return of thought and sensibility, an answering identity.” He’s saying that music can keep you connected you to the preserved self. The story of Henry demonstrates this immediately. In fact, you can see with Henry, It is as if there is a switch where his identity is “turned on” and even after the music stops, he has rediscovered his identity and reconnected to his self. The carryover effect of the music allows him to stay self-connected and other-connected for some time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyZQf0p73QM
4. Music can reduce responsive behaviors. There is substantial evidence in the literature that music can connect PWD to appropriate social behaviors. Music has been shown to reduce agitation generally, and at mealtime. Music reduces activity disturbance and the use of psychotropic drugs and physical restraints, particularly with the use of personalized music. Using individualized music has also shown reduction in combativeness, and reduced wandering. We’re going to unpack the terms personalized and individualized music shortly.
5. Music contributes to quality of life especially at end of life. Research suggests that music is valued by older people as part of their everyday lives and contributes to quality of life, psychological well-being and positive aging. At the end of a PWD’s life, music serves to facilitate interpersonal contact, Communication, Self-expression. End of life is an opportunity to reintroduce aesthetic experience and genuine beauty to people, especially those who because of their disease may have been without.
Bev Foster is the Executive Director of the Room 217 Foundation, a registered Canadian charity dedicated to caring for the whole person with music. www.room217.ca
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