Sunday, March 27, 2011
Power of Music
I know, for myself, that music makes a huge impact. Depending on what type it is, it can energize me, relax/sooth me, irritate me or even bring me to tears. Knowing this, we can use music to great effect when doing any type of treatment. In group this week, it was interesting to see the what type of music would be best. I used slow Hawaiian music for warm-up, and faster songs for a pass the ball and balloon activities. Given the amount of verbal cues needed, I'm not sure the music did much to motivate the group but when we put on the Zumba DVD, having the music seemed to be much more of a factor (as well as the instructors on the video). Both my music and the Zumba music were not familiar to this group and I wonder whether or not playing their favorite music would have had a bigger impact. It's hard though with a large group to find something they all enjoy. On an individual basis though, it can be much more effective. At the NCOTA conference this weekend, I attended a seminar on dementia and the speaker stressed how for the severely demented and agitated patient, familiar music can work wonders for these people. I found a couple of journal abstracts verifying how music can be therapeutic and how individualized music was more effective.
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In addition to music being helpful in a group setting, I also believe it is helpful in individual treatment. I have read with Alzheimer's that one of the last things that will reach the patient at the end of the disease is music. The patient that I did my case study on at the SNF was a music lover. Listening to Music is a leisure activity the she can still participate in and enjoy.
ReplyDeleteAnother anecdotal story I would share is from a friend who works in a new facility in Chapel hill designed around housing end of life Alzheimer's patients and committed to providing care without use of physical or chemical restraints. He often works nights, and many of the clients are not able to sleep and are up and down all night. He has found that bringing his guitar and playing for the patients is soothing to them.