Amy Clements-Cortes

Portraits of Music Therapy in Facilitating Relationship Completion at the End of Life

This article describes a study that investigated the experience of 4 dying persons and their significant relationships, as they engaged in music therapy sessions designed with the goal of facilitating relationship completion. Multiple data sources informed the case studies and the themes that emerged for each case are presented. A cross-case analysis was performed, which incorporated a thematic analysis of participants’ experiences where 6 global themes were identified including love, loss, gratitude, growth/trans- formation, courage/strength, and good-bye. Results indicate that life review, song dedications, and the creation of musical gifts were a core part of each participant’s process. The article concludes with a summary, discussion, and implications for future research. Keywords loss, love, palliative care, relationship completion, relationships

Development and efficacy of music therapy techniques within palliative care.

Music therapy is increasingly becoming an intervention used in palliative care settings around the globe. While the specialty of palliative care music therapy is relatively young having emerged in the late 1980s, there is a strong and growing body of evidence demonstrating its efficacy in assisting a variety of issues common at end-of-life. There are multiple music therapy techniques that are implemented with clients in palliative care and they can be categorized in four broad areas: receptive, creative, recreative and combined. These techniques will be presented with respect to their development by clinicians as supported by the descriptive and research literature. Information is also provided on the use of music therapy in facilitating the grieving and bereavement process.

Short-Term Effects of Rhythmic Sensory Stimulation in Alzheimer’s Disease: An Exploratory Pilot Study

This study assessed the effect of stimulating the somatosensory system of Alzheimers disease (AD) patients at three stages of their illness with 40 Hz sound. In this AB cross-over study design, 18 participants (6 mild, 6 moderate, 6 severe) each participated in 13 sessions: one intake and 12 treatment. Treatment A consisted of 40 Hz sound stimulation and Treatment B consisted of visual stimulation using DVDs, each provided twice a week over 6 weeks for a total of 6 times per treatment. Outcome measures included: St. Louis University Mental Status Test (SLUMS), Observed Emotion Rating Scale, and behavioral observation by the researcher. Data were submitted to regression analysis for the series of 6 SLUMS scores in treatment A and 6 scores in B with comparison by group. The slopes for the full sample and subgroups in the 40 Hz treatment were all significant beyond alpha = 0.05, while those for the DVD were not. A thematic analysis of qualitative observations supported the statistical findings. 40 Hz treatment appeared to have the strongest impact on persons with mild and moderate AD. Results are promising in terms of a potential new treatment for persons with AD, and further research is needed.

Buddy's Glee Club: Singing for Life

The Buddys Glee Club study was implemented to understand the benefits of participating in a choir on the health, wellness, and successful aging of older adults who are either cognitively intact or diagnosed with dementia. Participants were recruited from an adult day care program in a Canadian metropolitan area and took part in a weekly 1-hour choral program for 16 weeks. They were assessed both pre- and post-intervention for general health, self-esteem, anxiety, feelings/emotions, and quality of life. After 16 weeks participants were interviewed. Five large themes emerged from the data: friendship and companionship, simplicity, happiness and uplifting and positive feelings, relaxing and reduced anxiety, and fun.

Are We Doing More Than We Know? Possible Mechanisms of Response to Music Therapy

Due to advances in medical knowledge the population of older adults struggling with issues of aging like Alzheimers disease (AD), Parkinsons disease (PD), and stroke is growing. There is a need for therapeutic interventions to provide adaptive strategies to sustain quality of life, decrease neurologic impairment, and maintain or slow cognitive decline and function due to degenerative neurologic diseases. Musical interventions with adults with cognitive impairments have received increased attention over the past few years, such as the value of personalized music listening in the iPod project for AD (1); music as a tool to decrease agitation and anxiety in dementia (2); and music to aid in episodic memory (3); Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation as rehabilitation for PD (4); and recently the potential of 40 Hz sensory brain stimulation with AD and PD (5, 6). These approaches indicate the expanding scope and efficacy of music therapy and the potential mechanisms involved. This paper explicates a four-level model of mechanisms of music response (7, 8) that may help understand current music therapy approaches and treatments and help focus future research. Each level will be illustrated with research and suggestions for research directions.

Rhythmic sensory stimulation and Alzheimer’s disease

Background: Rhythmic Sensory Simulation (RSS) is stimulation of neural activity with sound applied rhythmically to the body or auditory system. The RSS and Alzheimer’s (AD) study sought to assess the behavioural effect of stimulating AD patients with sound-activated vibro-tactile stimulation of the somatosensory system at a rate of 40 HZ.Objective: To present an overview of the study with a look to the literature on sound stimulation with persons having AD.Methods: In this AB cross-over study design, 18 AD participants each received a total of 13 sessions. Treatment consisted of: 40 HZ stimulation and visual stimulation, each provided 6 times. Data sources included: the St. Louis University Mental Status Test, the Observed Emotion Rating Scale and behavioural observation by the researcher.Discussion: Quantitative and qualitative data analysis will be shared, alongside discussion on limitations and future research.Conclusions: With the incidence of AD and dementia expected to increase, further research and...