Discover how music therapy redefines dementia care by unlocking emotions, reducing distress, and building meaningful connections in institutional settings. Analysis: How and why music therapy reduces distress and improves well-being in advanced dementia care: a realist review . Image Credit: Unai Huizi Photography / Shutterstock ‘Severe’ or ‘advanced’ dementia is a terminal form of neurodegenerative disease characterized by extreme patient distress and the need for institutionalization.
Previous research has suggested the calming potential of music therapy, but clinical evidence and mechanistic understandings of this intervention remain insufficient. In a recent realist review published in the journal Nature Mental Health , researchers used a multiphase approach incorporating both scientific (including systematic reviews and meta-analyses) and stakeholder (experts, caregivers, and family) inputs to develop a program theory for using music therapy in dementia care. Historical Roots: Music has been used as a healing tool for centuries, from ancient Greek and Egyptian traditions to modern-day clinical applications, underscoring its long-standing significance in mental and physical health care.
The resultant program theory subsumes individual, institutional, and interpersonal contexts to outline the elements of music therapy, clearly distinguishing between trained therapist-delivered interventions and music-based interventions conducted by untrained facilitators. These el.
