Intensive english II

Luna Rocío Díaz Pinzón

ID. 1024575236

Music to remember

Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys

memory and thinking skills, and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. People
start having problems recognizing family and friends and they may be unable to learn new
things or doing tasks such as getting dressed or brushing teeth. Alzheimer's is the fifth leading
cause of death among people in the range of 65 years and older and the leading cause of
disability and ill health. It is also the most common cause of dementia among older adults.
According to the World Health Organization, there are 47 million people in the world
suffering from dementia and 9.9 million new cases are registered every year. In Colombia, it
is estimated that by 2020 there will be 260,000 patients, and worldwide by the year 2030,
there will be 75 million people with dementia. While there is currently no cure, there are
treatments available that can help relieve some symptoms. Research has shown that taking
advantage of all available treatment, care and support options can improve the quality of life.
Understandably, scientists and experts in other areas are studying new treatments—drug and
non-drug—to manage them. Non drug treatment includes music therapy, in which a music
therapist uses music and its facets – physical, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual, to help
patients improve and maintain their health.
It is evident that people create links with songs; we use music every day to enhance and
accompany our feelings and moods, since childhood. The fast rhythm invites us to dance and
move vigorously, while the slow rhythm provokes impressions of dignity, calm,
sentimentality, serenity, tenderness and sadness. Consonant chords are associated with
balance, rest and joy while dissonant chords are associated with restlessness, desire, worry
and agitation. Those are just two, of many elements that music has, and that act in our brain
consciously or unconsciously. The use of musical elements such as rhythm, harmony,
melody and sound was being used with patients in veterans’ hospitals following World War
II helping with the rehabilitation of physical, social, and emotional health with very good
results. So, it's not crazy to think that manipulating musical elements can help improve the
lifestyle of patients with Alzheimer's disease in a process created to facilitate, promote
communication, relationships, learning, movement, expression and organization.
 Intensive english II
Luna Rocío Díaz Pinzón
ID. 1024575236

Even many years before, Aristotle was the first to theorize about
the great influence of music on human beings. He owes the theory of Ethos, these theories
were based on the fact that the human being and the music were intimately related, so this
relationship made it possible for the music to influence not only the moods, but also the
character, so each melody was composed to create a state of encouragement to different
Ethos. Clinical studies have indicated that low melodious sound has therapeutic value for
elderly humans (Tyson, 1988) helping with behavior problems. Paulman (1982) reported that
music helped confused and withdrawn elderly patients regain a sense of reality, while
Gibbons (1986) showed that music provided clinical patients with sensory and intellectual
stimulation. To date, however, very little research with music therapy has been directed
toward Alzheimer patients, even though this illness presently afflicts a lot of people in the
world.
The mediating response between music and memory is the innate human tendency to
perceive patterns in music, and memory deterioration is the most common symptom of this
disease.Music therapy in Alzheimer’s invention may frequently consist of guided music
listening which leads to discussion of lyric content, mood of the music, and relevance of the
music to the patient’s personal life just to decline in non-memory aspects of cognition, and
impaired reasoning or judgment. In each session of therapeutic treatment with music, the
patient is involved in some type of musical experience, where strategies are sought through
specific problems and patient resources. For example, they (individual or group) create their
own music by singing or playing an instrument using improvisation to achieve better
expression, they also sing a song, or play an already composed piece of music, from memory
or reading music and listen to recorded or live music. Music therapy strategies involving
singing, drumming, and movement that can decrease aggressive outburst, reduce agitation,
decrease anxiety, increase positive affect, stimulate more facial movements than do
stimulation with touch or object presentation, and improve perceptual, motor, and verbal
skills. For threat vision/spatial issues, music therapist use movement awareness in a technique
which encourages patients to move and express themselves on a comfortable level through
beginning music and movement exercises in a group setting. Movement exploration uses
elements of music and movement to help body movements as they improve their body image
to feel competent in moving effectively. When combined with movements or exercise, music
 Intensive english II
Luna Rocío Díaz Pinzón
ID. 1024575236

therapy has been found to improve orientation and self-

expression among patients with Alzheimer.
According to a study called Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine (Kumar, Tims,
Cruess, & Mintzer, Nov 1999, págs. 49 - 57) music therapy increases serum melatonin levels
in patients with Alzheimer's disease, hormone especially responsible for regulating sleep.
Professional music therapists designed and provided daily live music therapy sessions of 30
to 40 minutes. This study evidenced specific changes in learning and singing of new songs,
increased ability to follow rhythmic patterns presented better ability to follow changes in
dynamic levels and tempos in music, ability to anticipate endings of phrases and songs,
increased social interaction were other aspects found in the investigation and mainly, sleeping
better for patients.
In another study, 60 elderly patients diagnosed with Alzheimer disease were separated into
three groups randomly and given tests to measure their mood and mental state. For group
number 1, Jazz music was played during their activity session, while the group number 2
were given puzzle exercises, and group 3 were drawing and painting. After 6 mounts, the
questionnaire was given again to all participants and analysis showed that the people in group
1 were more alert, happier, and had higher recall of past personal history than patients in the
other two groups.

In conclusion, there can be many benefits of music therapy to Alzheimer's patients, from
cognitive improvements such as helping in learning, orientation, increases the attention and
concentration capacity and maintains the improvement of verbal and communication skills.
Also physical improvements that help maintain joint mobility and increase muscle strength
and also promote relaxation, reduce agitation and reduce levels of anxiety. And emotional
aspects such as increased interaction and social communication, reducing and preventing
isolation and self-esteem. Even in this way, music therapy applied to patients with
Alzheimer's disease is still a field that has much to explore and even it is very little known by
people.
 Intensive english II
Luna Rocío Díaz Pinzón
ID. 1024575236

Cyberrafia

- https://www.alz.org/alzheimer-demencia/hechos-y-cifras

- https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/alzheimers-disease-fact-sheet

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_therapy

- https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/music-therapy

- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6232901/

- The Oxford Handbook of Music Psychology