Music Therapy Benefits

Music Therapy on Alzheimer and Cancer Patients: Benefits and Effects Music therapy has been widely recognized as a great way to help individuals cope with their situations. Whether they are in the hospital, hospice, or nursing home, music therapists have been helping patients get through critical conditions. Music therapy is a clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program. The American Music Therapy Association (ATMA) is an association that progresses development of music therapeutically in rehabilitation, special education, and in community settings. This association formed in 1998
Sometimes, these patients are very frustrated with their medical situations so, they are not able to communicate with their families. Music therapist must first form a bond with their patient so, they patient will be able to trust them and for the affect to be satisfactory. In the music therapy process there are three stages: contact, awareness, and resolution.
In the contact stage, music therapist and the patient forms a trust bond and a working relationship. In the awareness stage, the patient begins to focus and understand themselves. They guide them into creating a form of self-expression. In the resolution stage, relief and self-fulfillment as a sign of processing issues, thoughts, and feelings. The music therapy sessions give them a feeling of letting go (Bailey 6).
The different types of song in music therapy provides patients and their families with melodies and words which stimulate emotion and cognition. The family and patients are able to communicate their desires and problems on another level. Within the lyrics provides insight, they are able to remember and capture good memories and events throughout their
Each patients ranged from 71-87 in age and were all recruited for two nursing homes and two psychogeriatric wards. All of the patients were diagnosed with moderate to severe dementia. In the end, one patient ended up declining to participate. With the 46 remaining patients, 23 randomized patients were sent to a control group and the others were sent to a music therapy group. Again, the number of participants declined again due to being moved to a nursing home, deterioration to their condition, and death. In the end, there were only 38 participants. Twenty of them were sent to a music therapy group, while the other 18 were sent to a control group. The therapy group received 18 sessions of music therapy, lasting 30 minutes, 3 times per week for 6 weeks. After 6 weeks, the patients were rated for the second time, and after 10 weeks, for the third time when the therapy group had not received any music therapy for 4