Background: Dementia is often associated with Neuropsychiatric Symptoms (NPS) such as agitation, depression, hallucinations, anxiety, that can cause distress for the resident with dementia in long-term care settings and can impose emotional burden on the environment. NPS are often treated with psychotropic drugs, which, however, frequently cause side effects. Alternatively, non-pharmacological interventions can improve well-being and maintain an optimal quality of life (QoL) of those living with dementia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of an individual music therapy intervention and an individual music listening intervention on neuropsychiatric symptoms and quality of life in people with dementia living in a nursing home and on professional caregiver's burden to be able to make statements about their specific value of application in clinical practice.
Methods: A multicenter single blind randomized controlled trial with three groups was performed: an individual music therapy intervention (IMTI) group ( = 49), an individual music listening intervention (IMLI) group ( = 56) and a control group ( = 53) receiving usual care. The interventions were given during three weeks, three times a week on non-consecutive days during 30-45 minutes for in total nine sessions.
Medicines (Basel)
October 2018
The growing population of people with dementia worldwide calls attention to the burdens associated with age-related decline that affects physiology, psychological and cognitive status, and social/emotional wellbeing. The current standards in geriatric care recommend non-pharmacological approaches to these challenges, including safe approaches to managing pain and stress, enhancing symptom relief, and fostering independent lifestyles with the highest quality of life possible. The purpose of this article is to provide definitions of music-based interventions, music therapy applications and clinician qualifications, as well as an umbrella mini-review of meta-analyses regarding music-based interventions for individuals with dementia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Music therapy may have beneficial effects on improving communication and expressive skills in patients with Huntington's disease (HD). Most studies are, however, small observational studies and methodologically limited. Therefore we conducted a multi-center randomized controlled trial.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Huntington's disease is a progressive, neurodegenerative disease with autosomal dominant inheritance, characterized by motor disturbances, cognitive decline and behavioral and psychological symptoms. Since there is no cure, all treatment is aimed at improving quality of life. Music therapy is a non-pharmacological intervention, aiming to improve the quality of life, but its use and efficacy in patients with Huntington's disease has hardly been studied.
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