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. 

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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!