Whether Music is a Viable Option to Affect Positive Therapeutic Change in Aged Care Residents - Assignment Example

Whether music is a viable option to affect positive therapeutic change in aged care residents Music has long been regarded as an aural stimulant with the ability to awaken physical reactions such as modulation. Using of music in psycho- physiological management of stress is a common phenomenon. The utilization of music to arouse psychological responses also takes place regularly. Individualized music has the capacity to reduce agitation in patients who suffer agitation (Erkkilä et al, 2008). Music has also been attributed to alter moods, improves communication, reduce situational anxieties and advance mobility. Lately, the use of music has witnessed meteoric rise in health care. Some articles describe the benefits music can generate to old people while other studies demonstrate the effects of music on patients. Based on the results and findings of the literatures, it goes without saying that recreation music, therapy and diversion has come to be a significant tool of therapy with a number of applications. Such positive outcomes can be instrumental in gerontology. Accordingly, this paper attempts to evaluate the literature on whether music is a viable option to affect positive therapeutic change in aged care residents. Music therapy and dementia The capacity of music to act as a medium of cathartic is critical for older people. According to Glicken (2009) it becomes possible to introduce diverse instruments or styles to change mood when a patient shows connection to a piece of music and his or her state of emotions. Therefore, music can act synchronously with mood to function as a catalyst thereby helping in the release of emotions and facilitating communications. Undoubtedly, the multidimensional nature of music enables it to connect with spiritual, psychological, social and physical consciousness levels. It is this identical music quality that makes music to connect with patients when they undergo isolation of illnesses or pain, reduced ability to communicate and deterioration of the brain. According to music therapists, the re-establishment of effective communication between staff, families and patients can be possible when music intervention occurs (Pacheti et al, 2000). This feature holds significance for patients showing dementia. In the dementing patients, music assists in reorientation raising of moral and rebuilding of social links. Another component of dementia is grief. Therefore, music can be used as a diversion from anger or sadness that ensues when visitors depart patients. The diversion does not take away the patient rights to feelings, but it is the deflection of the attention that the therapist attempts to divert. Several studies about the effects of patients suffering dementia have been documented. One such study was done by Allen and Kline. They investigated the impacts of individualized music by studying five agitated and confused elderly patients suffering from dementia of the Alzheimer’s type in an aging care centre (Allen & Kline, 2004). Their study intimated that playing music which aroused pleasant memories generated a soothing effect on the agitated patients. A research by Boston University researchers in 2010 underpins the construct that indeed music improves the memory of dementia patients. In their study involving 32 patients, the team discovered that most of the dementia patients remembered the lyrics when they were in the form of songs as opposed to just spoken (Seligson, 2010). These studies suggest that music can act as a sufficient alternative ways of communication when the cognitive ability to pick up and express language disappears. Similar studies done in Japan have analysed the impacts of music therapy on psycho-somatic conditions in senescence (Horne-Thompson, Daveson & Hogan, 2007). Music therapy and Parkinson’s disease Parkinson’s disease is another common disease in old age. Parkinson’s disease entails a condition of degeneration predominated by slowness of movement or bradykenesia rigidity, tremor, hypokenesia or reduced movement and abnormalities in walking. Consequently this is another concept that can provide valuable information on the ability of music to act as a positive therapeutic change in aged care residents. Fortunately, a lot of studies have also been undertaken in this area hence the literature reviews from the studies are relevant to this study. Most studies point to the fact that music therapy helps in the improvements of the patient’s life by maximizing physical, psychological and physical functioning. A research done by Pachetti et al (2000) investigated the myriad ways in which music techniques could be applied to Parkinson’s disease on 32 patients. The objective of their study was to substantiate the efficiency of music therapy on motor involvement of patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease. They employed a randomised study that took 3 months and during the study they analysed the post examinations results of the observations. The findings of the study suggested improvements on both the emotional status and motor abilities of the patients. A previous study by Swallow (1987) also indicated that music helps in maintaining walking patterns of Parkinson’s disease patients. Music therapy and the relief of pain The concept of music therapy and relief of pain also correlates with the care of the elderly. In the same vein, it becomes significant that the various aspects of the concept are scrutinized to help in the management of the elderly. For example, a large percentage of the elderly people experience chronic pain as a result of diseases such as cancer or arthritis. Pain affects sleep patterns, moods, together with social and physical functioning (Kneafsy, 1997). However, the quality of life enhances when pain subsidizes. To this end, several studies have been conducted to illustrate how music helps in alleviating pain. A study by Cepeda et al evaluated the effect of music on chronic, acute, cancer pain, relief of pain and the requirements of analgesics. They utilized 51 studies that embodied 1867 subjects together with 1796 controls (Cepeda et al, 2006). Out of the 51 studies 31 showed significant effects of music on the relief of pain. According to their results, Music therapy functions in the management of chronic pain by offering sensory stimulation that arouse a reaction in a patient. The research made conclusions that music therapy can be used as a clinical intervention and can assist patients in various manners. In relation to the study revelations, music can help in the reduction of pain perceived by patients, promote relaxation, advance breathing rhythmically and allay stress and anxiety. They made the observation that patients automatically relaxed when pairing of soothing music with techniques of relaxation took place. Music therapy and emotion The last concept appropriate to the study of music effects on geriatrics concerns music therapy and emotions. The elderly people invariantly experiences feelings of loneliness and lapse into melancholic moods. On the other hand, music therapy involves a purposeful and target oriented activity whereby therapists work with older patients by using the expression of music to evoke sensations. Therefore, studies on this subject generate substantial information relevant to the effects of music on the elderly. One study by Australian researchers assessed the patterns of music therapy referrals and the consequences it had on patients. The study analyzed 9 Australian palliative care centres to ascertain the effects music had on the emotions of older patients (Horne-Thompson, Daveson & Hogan, 2007). 354 patients participated in the study, and the result revealed that 91 percent of the older patients showed alterations in their moods following music therapy. With regards to the study, a close association exists between music and unconscious emotions which become activated movement of music. Thus, music can be said to connect to the inner feelings of people in unique ways. Subsequently, the feelings are powerful and meaningful despite the fact that patients may not remember who they are. To the old people, music can operate as the picture of the world without necessarily connecting to verbal communication. Since aging normally becomes accompanied with degeneration of the brain, the expression of basic needs can be challenging and cause the feeling of isolation. Studies show that music helps in the promotion of communication and represents emotional and engaging strong stimuli (Hartley & Payne, 2008). Accordingly, music alters the moods of the elderly people since emotions and memories are interconnected. The evoking of memories in older people encourages communication and gives the patient a sensation of renewed identity. Conclusion From the literature review generated from the four concepts and various studies examined, it is apparent that indeed music has the wherewithal to act as a viable option to affect positive therapeutic change in aged care residents. The different studies suggest that this can take place through various mechanisms. Music shows exception in the sense that it can impact on both the minds and bodies of patients directly notwithstanding the mental or intelligence condition of the patients. Music functions to actuate senses and evoke emotions and feelings. The upshot is that it engenders mental and physiological reactions and emboldens the mind and body. Consequently these features can be essential in providing therapeutic change in aged care residents. I recommend for The Director of Nursing of the My Happiness Country Club to incorporate music therapy under club practices. Nonetheless, further research needs to be undertaken to understand how music generate changes in individual situations. References: Allen, J.& Kline, J.P . (2004). Frontal EEG asymmetry, emotion, and psychopathology: the first, and the next 25 years, Biolology Psychology, 1-5. Cepeda MS, Carr, D.B, Lau, J & Alvarez, H. (2006). Cepeda MS, Carr DB, Lau J, Alvarez H. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 1-8. Erkkilä, J., Gold, C., Fachner, J. Ruona, E.Punkanen,M. & Vanhala, M.(2008). The effect of improvisational music therapy on the treatment of depression: protocol for a randomised controlled trial, BMC Psychiatry, 1477-241. Glicken, D. (2009). Evidence-Based Counseling and Psychotherapy for an Aging Population, Connecticut: Academic Press. Hartley, N. & Payne, M. (2008). The Creative Arts in Palliative Care, London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Horne-Thompson, A. Daveson, B.& Hogan, B. (2007). A Project Investigating Music Therapy Referral Trends within Palliative Care: An Australian Perspective, Journal of Music Therapy, 139-155. Kneafsy, R. (1997). The therapeutic use of music in a care of the. Journal of Clinical Nursing , 341-346. Pacheti, C. Mancini, F. Aglieri, M. & Fundaro et al (2000). Active Music Therapy in Parkinson’s Disease: An Integrative Method for Motor, Pyschosomatic Medicine, 386-393. Seligson, S.(2010). Music Boosts Memory in Alzheimer’s. [AVAILABLE ONLINE AT ] http://www.bu.edu/today/2010/music-boosts-memory-in-alzheimer%E2%80%99s/ [Accesed on 14th August 2012]. Swallow, M. (1987). Can music help? Current Problems in Neurology, 109-112. Read More