Music Therapy
How is Music Therapy used with elderly people with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of Dementia?
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia in the United Kingdom, affecting approximately 417,000 people. First described by German neurologist Alois Alzheimer, Alzheimer’s ‘can be considered as being the most important of the degenerative diseases because of its frequent occurrence and devastating consequences.’ The disease is a progressive one which means that once patients have the illness it will only get worse and not better. Early signs of the disease include short term memory loss and difficulty in finding the right words. As the disease gets worse, the number and severity of the symptoms increase. These include symptoms such as ‘disorientation in time, a tendency to become lost in familiar surroundings, difficulty in recognising objects and people (even those dearest to them), an inability to carry out previously familiar tasks, loss of speech and the progressive deterioration in all mental functioning.’ It is not yet known a single cause for Alzheimer’s disease. It is thought that it is a result of ‘a combination of factors including age, genetic inheritance, environmental factors, diet and overall health condition.’ It is believed that out of all these symptoms age plays the biggest part. Alzheimer’s disease affects the nervous system in the brain and gradually destroys the neurotransmitters of the brain which carry messages from the brain to the rest of the body. ‘The destruction of these parts cause protein clumps to form around the brain cells. These clumps are known as plaques and begin to gradually break down more connections between the brain cells which cause the symptoms of the disease to worsen’. Diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease can be quite difficult as it has similar symptoms to a number of other illnesses such as vitamin deficiency, thyroid problems, drug misuse and having a brain tumour. More often than not the process of
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia in the United Kingdom, affecting approximately 417,000 people. First described by German neurologist Alois Alzheimer, Alzheimer’s ‘can be considered as being the most important of the degenerative diseases because of its frequent occurrence and devastating consequences.’ The disease is a progressive one which means that once patients have the illness it will only get worse and not better. Early signs of the disease include short term memory loss and difficulty in finding the right words. As the disease gets worse, the number and severity of the symptoms increase. These include symptoms such as ‘disorientation in time, a tendency to become lost in familiar surroundings, difficulty in recognising objects and people (even those dearest to them), an inability to carry out previously familiar tasks, loss of speech and the progressive deterioration in all mental functioning.’ It is not yet known a single cause for Alzheimer’s disease. It is thought that it is a result of ‘a combination of factors including age, genetic inheritance, environmental factors, diet and overall health condition.’ It is believed that out of all these symptoms age plays the biggest part. Alzheimer’s disease affects the nervous system in the brain and gradually destroys the neurotransmitters of the brain which carry messages from the brain to the rest of the body. ‘The destruction of these parts cause protein clumps to form around the brain cells. These clumps are known as plaques and begin to gradually break down more connections between the brain cells which cause the symptoms of the disease to worsen’. Diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease can be quite difficult as it has similar symptoms to a number of other illnesses such as vitamin deficiency, thyroid problems, drug misuse and having a brain tumour. More often than not the process of
Bibliography: ALDRIDGE, Gudran. ‘Improvisation a an Assessment of Potential in Early Alzheimer’s Disease’. Music Therapy in Dementia Care, ed. David Aldridge. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers Ltd, 2000. BUNT, Leslie. Music Therapy: An Art Beyond Words. London: Routledge, 1994. BUNT, Leslie and Sarah Hoskyns eds. The Handbook of Music Therapy. Hove: Brunner-Routeledge, 2002. DARNLEY-SMITH, Rachel and Helen M. Patey. Music Therapy. London: Sage Publications Ltd, 2003 GAERTNER, May GOLDSMITH, Malcolm. Hearing the Voice of People with Dementia: Opportunities and Obstacles. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers Ltd, 1996. GOLDSMITH, Malcolm. In a Strange Land....People with Dementia and the Local Church. Southwell: 4M Publications, 2004. ‘What is Alzheimer;’s Disease?’ The Alzheimer’s Society Website http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=100. 10th May, 2008. ‘Health Encyclopaedia- Alzheimer’s Disease’ NHS Direct Website http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/article.aspx?articleid=14#. 10th May, 2008 -------------------------------------------- [ 2 ]. http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=100 (accessed 10th May 2008) [ 3 ] [ 12 ]. Malcolm Goldsmith Hearing the Voice of People with Dementia: Opportunities and Obstacles (London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers Ltd, 1996) p 5 [ 13 ] [ 14 ]. Helen Odell-Miller ‘Musical narratives in music therapy treatment for dementia’ The Handbook of Music Therapy ed. Leslie Bunt and Sarah Hoskyns (Hove: Brunner-Routeledge, 2002), p150 [ 15 ]