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MUSIC THERAPY: Empowering People Living with Alzheimer’s Disease Alison Ledger BMus (Mus Thy) (Hons), RMT, ATCL Cameron Haigh BMus (Mus Thy) (Hons), RMT
MUSIC THERAPY:Empowering People Living with Alzheimer’s Disease
Alison LedgerBMus (Mus Thy)
(Hons), RMT, ATCL
Cameron HaighBMus (Mus Thy)
(Hons), RMT
A MUSIC THERAPY GROUPSample structure
Greeting and Warmup - medley of popular songs sung
Movement - structured movement to music
Body - quiz / theme / instrumental play, etc
Relaxation - structured relaxation to music
Closing song and farewell
Music Therapy:Improvisation, Communication and Culture
(Even Ruud, 1998)
AFFECTIVE AWARENESS
ability to reflect on and express emotions
Audio example
Audio example
AGENCYachievement,
competency, mastery
& empowerment
Alzheimer’s patients could learn new material when it was presented in the context of a song.
Prickett and Moore (1991)
Singing despite impaired verbal communication skills.(Clair, 2000; Fitzgerald-Cloutier, 1993; Olderog Millard & Smith, 1989)
AGENCY
Continued participation in instrumental playing despite other capacities deteriorating.
(Clair and Bernstein, 1990a; 1990b)
Rhythmic activities may be particularly accessible.
(Ebberts, 1994; Pollack & Namazi, 1992)
AGENCY
Audio example
“I’ve never sung so many old songs”
“I know all the old songs”
“I made that up!”
“we’re good, aren’t we?”
AGENCY
BELONGINGBeing with others through music:
being involvedbeing included
deep relationship
BELONGING
BELONGINGBeing with others through music:
being involvedbeing included
deep relationship
MEANINGsense of wholeness and purpose in life despite a
subjective state of feeling or suffering
MEANING“I like the music because it gives me sense in the background, and without that sense it all gets lost”
MEANINGsense of wholeness and purpose in life despite a
subjective state of feeling or suffering
MEANING
MEANINGsense of wholeness and purpose in life despite a
subjective state of feeling or suffering
“Thank you for thinking of my husband”
“music takes me back to the beach”
“music takes you back more than activities”
MEANING
MUSIC THERAPY:Empowering People Living with Alzheimer’s Disease
Alison [email protected] Cameron Haigh
Australian Music Therapy Association
www.austmta.org.au
