Music Therapy in Dementia Care
Music therapy in care for dementia
Dementia is an extremely common disease among the elderly, with 4 million Americans currently suffering from the Alzheimer’s type alone. Figures show that 3% of people between the ages of 65-74 suffer from the disease, rapidly increasing to 19% for the 75-84 age bracket, and as high as 47% for the over 85s. Therefore, it is easy to see why Dementia is such a large part of many people’s lives, whether they are suffering from the condition themselves, or have an elderly relative who requires full time care just to undertake simple day to day tasks. The disease can be extremely traumatic for the patient and their families, as the person, who may have been extremely lively and bright throughout their life, will go on a downward spiral where they will eventually seem to their loved ones a completely different person. In many cases the patient won’t even recognise their lifelong spouse. Dementia comes in all different types and severities; however there are certain traits which can be seen universally with sufferers of the disease. The most obvious of these is the loss of memory, which occurs in all cases and is often the first symptom noticed by those close to the patient. Other symptoms include confusion, personality change, depression and irritability. A good description is given by the American Psychiatric Association (1994), where it describes Dementia as: ‘an impairment in cognitive functioning manifested in deficits in short and long-term memory, abstract thinking, impaired judgement, language and personality change.’ No absolute diagnosis can be given for dementia (particularly Alzheimer’s) until death, where the brain tissues can be examined. However, there are several tests that can be done to give a reasonable idea of whether the person has the disease, with a referral to a specialist being compulsory, and a final diagnosis given after at least 6 months from the first meeting. Tests can range from a quick 5 minute quiz
Dementia is an extremely common disease among the elderly, with 4 million Americans currently suffering from the Alzheimer’s type alone. Figures show that 3% of people between the ages of 65-74 suffer from the disease, rapidly increasing to 19% for the 75-84 age bracket, and as high as 47% for the over 85s. Therefore, it is easy to see why Dementia is such a large part of many people’s lives, whether they are suffering from the condition themselves, or have an elderly relative who requires full time care just to undertake simple day to day tasks. The disease can be extremely traumatic for the patient and their families, as the person, who may have been extremely lively and bright throughout their life, will go on a downward spiral where they will eventually seem to their loved ones a completely different person. In many cases the patient won’t even recognise their lifelong spouse. Dementia comes in all different types and severities; however there are certain traits which can be seen universally with sufferers of the disease. The most obvious of these is the loss of memory, which occurs in all cases and is often the first symptom noticed by those close to the patient. Other symptoms include confusion, personality change, depression and irritability. A good description is given by the American Psychiatric Association (1994), where it describes Dementia as: ‘an impairment in cognitive functioning manifested in deficits in short and long-term memory, abstract thinking, impaired judgement, language and personality change.’ No absolute diagnosis can be given for dementia (particularly Alzheimer’s) until death, where the brain tissues can be examined. However, there are several tests that can be done to give a reasonable idea of whether the person has the disease, with a referral to a specialist being compulsory, and a final diagnosis given after at least 6 months from the first meeting. Tests can range from a quick 5 minute quiz