Listening to and enjoying music has been a favorite way of passing the time or enjoying while working around the house, exercising, during celebrations, at a concert, etc. It evokes emotional feelings while having important personal and social values.
Have you ever wondered how music and memory are interrelated? How about the way music affects our minds? Do people who experience dementia benefit from listening to music? What happens to a dementia patient’s brain when they hear certain music? In some cases, individuals who have dementia cannot verbally communicate clearly as the disease progresses. Northwestern Medicine teamed up with the Institute for Therapy through the Arts (ITA) and studied how a connection can form using a new music intervention. They had developed a program called “Musical Bridges to Memory” - live musicians perform for the patient. The music repertoire consists of songs from the patient’s youth. For instance, songs from “Oklahoma” or “The Sound of Music” would be performed. The patient and their caregiver(s) usually feel an emotional connection that lets them sing, dance, or play musical instruments together. The program helped patients improve their social skills and decreased their neuropsychiatric symptoms like agitation, anxiety, and depression for patients and their caregivers. Over 6 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease. This study is unique because it doesn’t just focus on the patients. It also observed the patient’s caregivers. Memories of Music can Stay with a Patient while other Memories Fade. Music was able to bridge a connection that could not be made verbally. Family and friends of patients with dementia are also impacted by this. When they are unable to connect with loved ones through language, music can help rekindle that bond. Music memories are usually retained in a person’s brain, even when language and other memories fade with dementia. The areas of the brain that retain musical memory and processing are not as deeply impacted by Alzheimer’s or dementia until the disease is in more advanced stages. Therefore, patients can still sing or dance along even if they can no longer speak clearly and coherently. Musicians Perform for Patients A 45-minute musical intervention, music and songs that the patients enjoyed in their youth were performed. The patients and their caregivers were given instruments to play along with the music. Trained music therapists encouraged the patients to beat drums, dance, and sing. Afterward, they engaged in a group conversation. Patients became more social. They made more eye contact, were less confused, calmer, and in better spirits. The control group, which did not receive musical intervention and continued with their routine care, did not exhibit these changes. The program had 12 sessions within a three-month period. Prior to the intervention, some patients wouldn’t talk or interact with their partners. During the intervention, they began playing, singing, and dancing together, which was a momentous change that the family was able to witness. These changes also occurred in everyday moments, outside of sessions. As the program continued, multiple family members were invited to join. They were able to normalize the experience for everyone in the family. Everyone could interact with their loved one, no matter what level of dementia they had. Are you experiencing hearing loss? Do you or a loved one miss listening to music that you enjoyed? Contact us at Pure Sound Hearing for a complimentary hearing test and consultation. Our hearing aid providers will help you select hearing aids that are appropriate for your hearing loss. Comments are closed.
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