From Dark Days To Musical Ends: A Case Study on the Effects of a Musical Social Event on the Wellbeing of Geriatric Populations with Dementia
Date
2024-04-12
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Southern New Hampshire University
Abstract
Dementia is one of the leading diagnoses of senior citizens. While scientists have started to discover the causes of dementia, there is no cure. Therapists and families turn to compassionate care for their loved ones with a dementia diagnosis during their final years. Music therapy is an upcoming field of therapy established in the 1970s. In recent years, therapists have started to use music therapy as a form of compassionate care. There have been minimal studies conducted to examine the effects of music therapy on the well-being of geriatrics with dementia. Through this study, caretakers of geriatrics with dementia will observe residents over 10 days surrounding a music therapy session. Via self-reported notes or interviews, the observations will be collected and analyzed to determine if there is a significant effect on the well-being of geriatrics with dementia due to music therapy. Through tagging of positive and negative well-being traits, it was concluded that there was not a significant increase in positive well-being. However, there does appear to be a skew in the data due to an increase in residents being observed after music therapy that had negative well-being traits. Comments from a second participant indicate that there may be a correlation between sleep and mental reset canceling out the positive effects of music therapy overnight. This study did not explore this correlation but foresees a possible correlation that could aid in the interpretation of this study in the future.
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