Cognitive and Behavioral Effects of Music Therapy on Older Adults with Dementia

Master's Thesis from the year 2017 in the subject Nursing Science - Dementia, grade: A, University of Chester, course: Masters of Science in Global Health, language: English, abstract: The aim of this research is to measure/identify cognitive, behavioural and psychological effects of music therapy on older adults with dementia. 47.5 million people are affected with age-related neuro-cognitive and behavioural disorder named as Dementia, and 1.9 million people have died due to this disease according to the world health report of 2015 whereas 7.7 million new cases are occurring every year. One in four people aged 85 and over will have different forms of dementia by the end of the year 2050. However, in the year of 2013, this fatal psychological disease lead to 1.7 million annual deaths, whereas in 1990; there were only 0.8 million deaths per annum due to dementia; which indicates that the rate of affected patients and case fatality rate are increasing gradually.

Music therapy is a quick form of non-pharmacological, non-invasive intervention for the rising number of demented patients besides the medical as well as pharmacological intervention. Because these traditional interventions have proven their ineffectiveness and handled to side effects of medicine in demented patients. Nationwide, about 10% of the population, develop dementia at some point in their lives. It is a common form of brain defects which occur due to the ageing process and genetic abnormalities. Approximately half of the entire dementia population is over 85 years old and over. 3% individuals aged between 65¿74 years have dementia in 2016; whereas 19% people with this disease aged between 75 - 84 years, which indicates that the percentage of individuals who are getting dementia is proportionate to the gradual increase of their age.

By the blessings of modern medicine where more people are living longer, dementia is becoming more and more common in the population which overrides the percentage of cardiac illness, hypertension and other neurological age-related problems. Furthermore, for individuals with a younger age group, dementia is less frequent in the developing countries. Due to decrease risk factors and caring environment for the elderly persons, more carer within the family, family values and morals; dementia has not taken it tolls in countries like Bangladesh. Dementia is an excellent cause of disability among the old in various parts of the world. This fatal disease has increased the economic burden by which costs of care increases by USD 604 billion a year worldwide in 2010.