Research proves that music can help dementia
Over the weekend, a report on the BBC NEWS CHANNEL stated that music can help those with dementia.
Music is neurologically special in the way that it stimulates many parts of the brain at once. This means that even if parts of the brain are damaged, music can still reach other parts.
Evidence for the power of music generally
A major review in 2017 confirmed that ‘among sensory stimulation interventions, the only convincingly effective intervention for reducing behavioral symptoms (specifically agitation and aggressive behaviour) was music therapy’. A second review that year showed “music intervention significantly reduces agitated behaviours in demented people.”
In 2018, a Cochrane review concluded that there was a need for more research in the area, in part because of the lack of consistency in methodologies across different studies. The reviewers were reasonably confident that music could affect mood and depression in people with dementia but could not draw definitive conclusions about other effects. They recommended that future research should specifically consider the duration of effects in relation to the duration of sessions.
Source: Playlist for Life
Our Comment
We believe that it must be the right kind of music, which must be non-aggressive. We also venture to say that the right kind of music played in cars can prevent road-rage.
