PIEDMONT MUSIC THERAPY CLINIC & STUDIO
  • About
  • Music Therapy FAQ
  • Forms
  • SUMMER CAMPS
  • Lessons & Performance
  • Partners
  • Staff
  • Contracts
  • Contact
  • Continuing Ed
  • MT Coaching
  • ASC Info
  • Blog
  • Internship
  • Newsletters
  • Research Study
Picture
Private Practice Blog, started in 2013

PIEDMONT MUSIC THERAPY, LLC

Written by music therapists - board certified.

​Interested in a topic we have not yet covered? Please let us know.

Neurologic Music Therapy for Older Adults with Dementia: A Research Study Summary

3/6/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
Written by: Molli Smith, MT Intern.

During my internship thus far, I have gotten the opportunity to work with multiple groups of older adults with dementia. Because I have not had as much hands-on experience with this population during my undergrad clinical work as a music therapy student at Queens University of Charlotte, I wanted to explore research studies that have examined the benefits of music therapy for older adults to gain more insight. In my search, I found a study that was conducted in August of 2022 - just a mere 7 months ago. With this study, Leticia Prieto Álvarez, PhD, MT-BC, LMHC examined the effects of Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) on treatment acceptability, cognition, mood, and behavior of older adults with dementia in comparison to participation in an Enrichment Program (combination of mental and physical exercises) and a non-facilitated television program.

While facilitating the music therapy, about seven to nine different NMT techniques were used in each session. To highlight some of the techniques that were used to target sensorimotor skills, speech and language, and cognition, here are a list of a few examples: 
  • Patterned Sensory Enhancement by playing marching rhythms or songs to encourage lower body movements. 
  • Oral Motor and Respiratory Exercises by singing with elongated syllables like “Ay” and “Oy.” 
  • Therapeutic Singing with familiar songs from the 30s-60s. 
  • Auditory Perception Training by following therapists’ dynamic cues to play loud or softly. 
  • Musical Executive Function Training by conducting interventions to practice decision-making or reasoning in a social setting. 

Participants were residents of an assisted living community that had been diagnosed with moderately severe to severe Alzeihmer’s Disease or related dementia. They were placed into three groups and attended each type of intervention four times a week. Results indicated that the average participants’ acceptance of treatment and completion of full treatment sessions were higher in NMT than compared to the enrichment and television programs. During implementation, several residents left their assigned intervention and chose to attend NMT instead (86% of the time) whereas no residents left NMT to attend a different intervention. Participation in NMT resulted in higher scores of positive mood, followed by the enrichment program, and then television. Researchers also found that NMT had a larger effect on cognitive functioning, receiving higher scores across five of the seven cognitive subdomains. 

I have seen numerous positive impacts for older adults with dementia from my own clinical work, but never had an opportunity to look into differences among other provided programs. Reading about the results of this study was very interesting. Not only did this research study provide me with further validation of why the work we do with this population is so beneficial, but it is a great resource in advocating for more implementation of music therapy programs in assisted living communities. 

To read the full article, visit this link.

How have you seen music therapy benefit older adults with dementia?



0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    PMT, LLC

    Providing music therapy services for early childhood to older adults, music instruction and enrichment plus continuing music therapy education in Greater Charlotte Area of the Carolinas.

    Picture

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    August 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013

    Categories

    All
    Advocacy
    Camp
    Charlotte
    Conference
    Contract
    Fall
    Hospital
    Imagine
    Inservice
    Legislation
    Licensure
    Mental Health
    Museum
    Music Therapy
    Recital
    Save The Date
    Scholarship
    Summer
    Volunteers

    RSS Feed

Main Location

Picture
READY TO DISCUSS INTAKE PROCESS?
​
​

Call 803-206-2044.

What Our Clients Are Saying

"We appreciate all you do for our participants and look forward to working with you in 2022! You are awesome!
~Susan Bill, Exec. Director of Minds Matter

​"Thank you so much for the work you do year round! You spread so much joy throughout our facility!"
~ Staff Member 

"Melissa's visits are the highlights of my mother's week: her enthusiasm is infectious and she manages to get my mother singing, and more importantly, smiling."
~Daughter of an Adult Client receiving music therapy


Contact Us

    Subscribe Today!

Submit
  • About
  • Music Therapy FAQ
  • Forms
  • SUMMER CAMPS
  • Lessons & Performance
  • Partners
  • Staff
  • Contracts
  • Contact
  • Continuing Ed
  • MT Coaching
  • ASC Info
  • Blog
  • Internship
  • Newsletters
  • Research Study