Use of Music Therapy to Improve Cognition in Older Adults With Dementia: An Integrative Review

Abstract

Background and purposeDementia is considered a public health priority due to physical, psychological, economic, and social repercussions in older adults, their families, and caregivers. To address this issue, healthcare providers can use music therapy as a complementary therapy. This manuscript was elaborated to analyze and synthesize the current evidence of the use of music therapy to improve cognition in older adults with dementia.MethodsUsing the Whittemore and Knafl (2005) method, databases searched were PubMed, CINAHL, Ovid, EBSCO, ProQuest, and PsycINFO, using the terms such as “Music Therapy,” “Acoustic Stimulation,” “Music,” “Cognition,” “Memory,” “Attention,” “Aged,” and “Dementia.” Studies that met the eligibility criteria were screened by title, abstract and full text. Quality of the studies were evaluated using critical appraisal tools and Cochrane “Risk of Bias” tool.ResultsA total of 211 articles were screened by title and abstract, but only 28 articles met the inclusion criteria and were full text screened. Of the 28 articles, only five studies were analyzed and synthesized as they focused specifically on music therapy and cognition. Three of the studies showed that active and active–passive approaches of music therapy produce significant effect on cognition in older adults with dementia. The common characteristic was the participation of music therapists or music teachers who delivered the music therapy sessions that resulted in improved cognition.Implications for practiceAs a safe, inexpensive intervention, it should be considered as a complementary therapy to positively impact cognition in older adults with different types of dementia and levels of severity.

Exploring the Clinical Utility of the Music Therapy Assessment Tool for Awareness in Disorders of Consciousness (MATADOC) with People with End-Stage Dementia

“…In particular, there appears to be moderate quality evidence for the reduction of depressive symptoms [ 9 ]. While Domínguez-Chávez et al [ 10 ] report positive effects of music interventions on cognitive functioning among people with dementia, this finding has not been substantiated by other reviews [ 11 , 12 ]. Reports on the effectiveness of music in reducing BPSDs tend to include individuals across the dementia spectrum, whereas those reporting effects on cognition generally do not include people with end-stage dementia.…”

Music Therapy in the Treatment of Dementia: A Review Article

“…A music therapist's duties typically involve helping and instructing staff members, families, volunteers, and even certain teachers in the use of music-therapeutic approaches in addition to dealing with clients on a clinical level. Six researchers in music therapy (MT) from six different nations concurred that the time was right to host a roundtable where they could exchange their expertise in dementia care, or skill sharing in dementia care, and their indirect MT practice [2][3][4][5][6][7]. Music is frequently included in everyday routine as an adjuvant therapy to drug treatment, per national dementia plans in many different nations.…”

“…It has an impact on a person's behavior and emotions, which can harm their well-being and quality of life. According to studies, there's been an upsurge in motivation using music as a newer kind of treatment for dementia during the past few decades [ 7 ]. The term dementia overall includes conditions marked by advancement rearrangement that affects cognitive processes like remembering and language, in addition to behavioral changes like anxiety and sadness.…”