LEISURE & ENTERTAINMENT
This is how it differs from simply playing music, where you can be passive. The music therapist reacts to the individual and what they need from a session that day – whether that’s therapeutically interacting with a certain instrument or joyfully re-creating a previously loved song together. A recipient of music therapy won’t just be played to, they will always be actively involved in the session.
WHAT DOES MUSIC THERAPY DO?
Music therapy is a clinical treatment which brings significant benefits to people living with dementia. These benefits include an increased sense of wellbeing, reduced feelings of anxiety and agitation, as well as the ability to communicate better with those around them.
There are pure moments of joy to be found for the person within the session and beyond, because of the dramatic difference it can make to their state of mind. This renewed sense of self then helps the person with dementia to reconnect with the current world when, oſten, the condition has closed those doors.
DOES MUSIC THERAPY REALLY MAKE A
DIFFERENCE? There is a growing body of evidence showing the benefits of music therapy for people with dementia. In fact, our own research shows that music therapy allows for deeper connections and helps people to see beyond their condition – connecting them with their past as well as reconnecting them with the present. MHA’s model of music therapy also enables us to share insight from the session with the wider home community for the benefit of all residents and staff.
We know that carers have a difficult job at times, and music
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therapy injects lightness into their day too. Our carers talk about being able to really get to know a resident aſter a session, because they oſten come out in a much more lucid state. As one of our carers told us, ‘music therapy opens a window and suddenly this person is able to reach out mentally and connect.’
Being able to talk with a resident over a nice cup of tea, following a session, really does make someone’s day when it can be that the person they’re caring for is oſten unresponsive. Making connections is a hugely rewarding part of the job for a carer, so anything that helps to bring this about is extremely worthwhile for them as well as the resident’s family.
WHAT DO DOCTORS THINK?
Music therapy assists carers, GPs and other medical professionals by opening them up to a resident’s personal history, their current cognitive functioning, as well as any methods that could offset symptoms such as anxiety and agitation during daily care. This results in more person- centred care and a more settled home community.
Carers, doctors and family members frequently tell us how music therapy is making an impact in our care homes for the whole community. There is a ripple effect when an individual has been liſted out of the darkness of dementia, even if that’s just for a short time.
MHA is on a mission. In the future we want to see music therapy available to everyone who has dementia. Not just in our homes, but everywhere. Because, even with dementia, we all deserve (and can have) a life that is still full of moments of joy.
www.mha.org.uk - 31 -
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