5 Reasons Music Therapy is Needed Within Senior Communities
Music Therapy & Eldercare
Over the last year or so, life has been altered. Everyone near and far faced challenges due to the effects of the pandemic (I’m sure you can list a few for you and your family right now!), yet for people residing in assisted living, skilled nursing, or memory care facilities, challenges on their mental health was exaggerated. Many facilities had to discontinue visits from family or friends, keep residents away from others within the facility, and postpone adjunct services. According to the JAMA Network, older adults living in residential facilities lacked access to resources to appropriately cope with the increased stress the pandemic brought. For example, physical resources (i.e. electronic devices to enhance connection with family and friends), social resources (i.e. visits from friends, family, and even fellow residents), and cognitive resources (i.e. stimulating activities/programs) were hard to come by. This caused an increase in depressive symptoms, agitation, and loneliness for many residents and in turn, exhaustion for their caregivers.
Unfortunately, this reality hit home for me, my husband, and his family. We saw my husband’s dad go through significant changes, like the ones described above, during the last year and a half. My father-in-law lives in a small assisted living facility. Window visits were the only way he could see his wife, children, and grandchildren. The staff worked hard to provide essential care for his physical and medical needs; however, his emotional and mental health needs were overlooked. My father-in-law experienced a great amount of stress and confusion during that time, which resulted in weakness, loneliness and isolation, decreased energy and appetite, and slower response time during social opportunities.
While most senior living facilities are able to open their doors once again to visitors and healthcare professionals, many are still lacking additional healthcare services that deliberately aim to treat these mental health concerns without the use of pharmaceuticals. Individuals living in a facility such as these are often unable to care for their mental health themselves so they need help from others. It’s for this reason that purposeful healthcare services, like Music Therapy, need to be provided and prioritized within these facilities to target each resident’s mental health and well-being.
What is Music Therapy and why is it beneficial for older adults?
Music Therapy is a unique and highly effective allied health profession that uses purposeful music interventions to elicit responses from residents. Songwriting, instrument play, group singing, movement to music, reminiscence facilitated by familiar songs, and music for relaxation are all interventions that can be implemented within a Music Therapy session to accomplish group-appropriate goals. Music Therapy is so effective for older adults because it is multi-sensory by nature and music inherently captures attention, sustains it, and prompts action. Within a session facilitated by a Board Certified Music Therapist, residents often begin to socialize with one another, agitated and aggressive behaviors decrease, more alert responses are noticed, attention and language skills improve, positive reminiscence and life review occur, and they are able to share a meaningful leisure opportunity together.
As you can see, Music Therapy is more than just a source of entertainment. A Music Therapist specifically curates a session plan to meet the needs and abilities of the residents at each facility. Within that curated session plan, the Music Therapist is trained to adapt the music and interventions moment by moment to ensure the most effective outcomes. This means that each session is specifically designed with each facility and resident in mind to promote the highest level of engagement possible!
Now that you know what Music Therapy is and how it can provide an essential service all older adults can benefit from, here are the TOP FIVE reasons all senior living communities should offer music therapy services.
Music Therapy treatment helps reduce depressive symptoms (i.e. anxiety or stress).
-Regular music therapy treatment can effectively reduce feelings of anxiety and stress by providing a sense of togetherness and connectedness, a positive way to express negative emotions, and a way to socialize with no words or conversation necessary.
Music Therapy treatment can decrease frequency of agitated and aggressive behaviors.
-Facilities that used regular music therapy services saw a decrease in pharmacological remedies for agitation and an increase in positive mood that sustained past the duration of a music therapy session. These changes resulted in fewer aggressive behaviors toward peers or caregivers.
Music Therapy engages people who may not engage with other services or activities.
-Music naturally contains elements (i.e. rhythm, tone, melody, etc) that allow it to activate multiple senses. These elements inherently capture attention, sustain it, and prompt action. You may see people who are normally disengaged begin to move to music, sing along to familiar songs, or speak with clarity about a memory from childhood. Music therapy services aren’t just for those who have experience playing instruments or frequented music performances, music therapy can benefit anyone.
Music Therapy provides respite for caregivers.
-Facilities who use music therapy not only receive respite during the group or individual session, but the positive effects last long after the instruments are put away. Residents who attend music therapy sessions and show some level of engagement have been shown to have increased mood, alertness, socialization, and less agitated and aggressive behaviors. These positive results allow caregivers to attend to other matters instead of avoidable negative symptoms.
Music Therapy creates positive and meaningful experiences for residents.
-Studies show that neuronal memory traces formed through music memories and experiences are more resistant to damage from neurodegenerative influences than memories not associated with music. Music can help individuals residing in senior living facilities to remember a part of who they are, which can spark joy and a sense of belonging. Through Music Therapy, these seniors are presented with opportunities for socialization, motor and cognitive engagement, and a way to express themselves through choice and control.
At Thrive Music Therapy LLC, we strive to purposefully use music to benefit the mental health of older adults we work with. If you have a loved one who is residing in a senior living community and want Music Therapy services in their new home, send us an email at annie@thrivemusictherapywi.com. We want to serve you and your loved one in order to help promote better mental health and quality of life!
For a closer look into what a Music Therapy session in a senior living facility might look like, check out this video!
Learning Flexibility: How to Cope With a New School Year
The new school year is right around the corner! Are you and your kids prepared for it? If routine changes are hard for your kids, keep reading!
Whether you are excited or anxious for what the new school year might bring, kids all over will soon be packing their school bags and heading to their new classrooms. Transitioning to the new school year is often difficult for kids, especially those on the autism spectrum or diagnosed with Down syndrome. A new school year brings new teachers, new classmates, new routine, new expectations, new locker placement, new schedule, NEW, NEW, NEW. Talk about a big transition! Especially after summer break full of fun, freedom, and an entirely different routine!
A skill that becomes essential for transitions such as this is FLEXIBILITY. Flexibility is a skill that needs to be learned and practiced by people of all ages. I’m sure you can relate along with me. For example, maybe your schedule at work was changed recently and you’re struggling to adjust, or the grocery store changed their layout and you find yourself becoming frustrated when you can’t find the eggs. Those on the autism spectrum or diagnosed with Down syndrome often have even more trouble learning and putting flexibility into practice. Becoming proficient at this skill is greatly beneficial for coping with a new routine, like starting a new school year.
If your child struggles with the transition back to school (or any other change in routine for that matter), music therapy may be beneficial. Music therapy can help kids with autism, Down syndrome, and other exceptionalities learn about the importance of flexibility, how to identify coping skills, and how to practice flexibility in all areas of life. One of the ways we, at Thrive Music Therapy, teach this skill is by teaching, singing, and co-writing a song we like to call, ‘The Flexibility Song’. The song’s structure provides opportunities to customize lyrics by including specific situations and personal coping skills so that each individual is able to apply the song’s information in their life. Learning new information through music helps increase overall retention rate and causes kids have a higher probability of recalling their coping skills at a time of need when learning them through music. Once the song is learned and practiced, music therapists can derive opportunities for each child to put their new flexibility skills into action. Plenty of practice in a controlled, safe setting, such as a music therapy session, allows for continued learning that will often translate to every day situations where this skill is required. Being flexible with a new routine isn’t always easy, but having a personalized song to play or sing at a time of need may help to you or your child appropriately cope with any heightened anxiety, anger, and/or frustration that may arise. Learning and practicing flexibility has now become a lot more FUN!
Check out one version of ‘The Flexibility Song’ we’ve used in music therapy treatment for a teen with autism below.
Discover more about what we offer at Thrive Music Therapy on our ‘Services Offered’ page.
If you’re interested in talking with our music therapist about whether music therapy services are a good fit for you or your child, call for a COMPLIMENTARY consultation.
Feelin’ Good in our NEW Neighborhood
All settled and ready to make music!
Well, we made it! My husband and I are officially Wisconsinites once again. Due to my husband’s military service, we were living in northern California; however, with his contract ending, we knew it was time to come back to our home state of Wisconsin. We specifically chose to relocate to Appleton, WI, not only to be closer to family, but to immerse ourselves in this humble, but mighty town. Due to prior visits and nearby family, we knew Appleton was a quaint, yet lively place. We knew there were plenty of community events where citizens were readily involved, lots of outdoor places to explore, an extensive appreciation for the arts and music, and finally, the friendly and intentional culture Appleton embodies. For all those reasons, we wanted to be a part of it.
That’s where Thrive Music Therapy LLC comes in. As we dreamed of our relocation back to the Midwest, we wanted to explore all the options, big or small. I had a solid background working for a wonderful private practice, Vacaville Music Therapy, and I was mentored on music therapy techniques and small business practices and strategies by the owner, Brianna McCulloch. There, I provided music therapy services for children with various intellectual disabilities, led a music social group for teens with ASD, and facilitated music therapy groups for adults with intellectual disabilities and older adults within a memory care residence. I was inspired by Brianna’s dedication to the clients we served and I wanted to give business ownership a shot myself. Thrive Music Therapy LLC started as a crazy idea in our small home in California and now is officially off the ground. We are fully up and running and want to immerse ourselves into the Appleton community and it’s surrounding area.
And that’s where you come in. Do you have a child or loved one who has an intellectual or developmental disability? Are they struggling with a certain area, such as social skills, language and communication, behavior, or physical limitations? Music therapy services may be a great option! We are available and ready to meet the specific needs and goal areas of your child or loved one. Call or email us for a FREE consultation. I would be happy to speak with you to see if music therapy is a good fit.
Why Music Therapy?
Music therapy is an evidenced-based health profession that purposefully uses music to target specific, functional goals. There have been many clinical studies conducted that show music therapy interventions helping to improve social skills, behavior skills, motor skills, speech and communication, and enhance self-esteem for children and adults with disabilities. In addition, music therapy groups are able to promote social interaction, teamwork, self-awareness, meaningful engagement, and awareness of others. This means that implementing music therapy in early intervention programs, group homes, or assisted living facilities may help decrease unwanted behavior, create a meaningful experience that participants are able to share together, provide social connection, and promote creativity and self-expression.
Not only is music therapy treatment EFFECTIVE, it’s FUN and MOTIVATING too! Since music is multi-sensory by nature, it inherently captures attention, sustains it, and prompts action. A trained board-certified music therapist can use these characteristics of music to elicit powerful results that often reflect positive progress for those participating.
If music therapy services sound like a good fit for you, call or email us for a FREE consultation!
If you would like additional information about music therapy, click here.