What Is Music Therapy?
WHAT IS MUSIC THERAPY?
Music therapy is all about using the power of sound and music to access parts of the brain that language can’t necessarily reach. Music stimulates different parts of the brain to speech – as communication can be affected by dementia, music can act as an alternative way to communicate for some individuals.
Old-favourite songs can conjure up memories of a particular time, with some people living with dementia better able to connect with music than words as a way to express themselves.
MUSIC THERAPY ACTIVITIES FOR DEMENTIA
Music therapy can take lots of different forms; it’s not always just about listening to music, but about interacting with it and interpreting it too.
Some examples of music therapy activities for dementia include:
- Listen to a music radio station that plays songs from a decade that holds happy memories for them, and ask them questions about how the songs make them feel, or whether they remember when they last heard them
- Create a playlist based on the individual’s CD collection or the songs they respond the most positively to, and play this regularly, or when they need to calm down or be cheered up
- Encourage them to sing along or even play a percussion instrument, such as a tambourine, along with the music
- Watch a favourite musical together on TV or even take them to see a show. Some theatres offer relaxed performances – contact the venue ahead of time to find out whether this would be suitable or to see if it’s a dementia-friendly venue
- Play or sing nursery rhymes or songs from the person’s childhood, as these can be ingrained deep in our memories. This may be a way to encourage them to connect with old memories and talk about their younger years
- Encourage the individual’s loved ones to join in with music therapy sessions to allow them to create new memories together
