Music Therapy and Dementia

Website design By BotEap.comDementia, characterized by a severe deterioration of the person’s intellectual capacity, emotional disturbances and personality changes, is caused by a number of different reasons, such as loss of neurons in the brain due to head injury, metabolic disorders or even due to a tumor in the brain.

Website design By BotEap.comThe human brain has 2 hemispheres: the left hemisphere and the right hemisphere. A large part of the person’s brain is usually damaged in a patient suffering from dementia. Although a person’s language skills are exclusively controlled by the left hemisphere of the brain, music is perceived by many different parts of the brain rather than just one particular part of the brain, as different elements of music, such as rhythm , pitch and melody are processed differently by different parts of the human brain. Therefore, it is able to reach the remaining healthy sections of the patient’s brain.

Website design By BotEap.comMusic is received and processed by different stem cells in the brain and therefore even people with severe dementia can respond to music. Music can be perceived and therefore used as a means of communication for people suffering from dementia, whose ability to understand or learn languages ​​is severely affected. When all other modes of communication fail to make an impact, music, with its nonverbal stimulating qualities, tends to penetrate the patient’s mind and makes some degree of social, emotional, or cognitive connection possible. Symptoms such as agitation and confusion among people suffering from dementia can also be alleviated by the relaxing and calming effects of music.

Website design By BotEap.comThe degree of familiarity, the degree of liking of the patient for that particular music and the memories associated with the music or the importance that the music has for the individual are certain factors that define the scope of the positive impact or the beneficial effects of music therapy. . . While familiar music may elicit positive responses, such as tapping of fingers and feet in time with the melody, humming, rhythmic movement of the body’s organs to the music, or a change of expression on the face, unfamiliar music does not register on the music. the brain in the first place. Therefore, we cannot find positive effects on the patient when unknown music is played during music therapy sessions. In the same way, the familiar environment can help the patient to relate more to the place and makes him feel more calm and comforted.

Website design By BotEap.comThe music therapist must be very careful about the tone and volume of the music used for therapy because even these factors have a great impact on the patient. While a high pitch and high volume can create anxiety and pressure, a low pitch makes them feel more relaxed.