Music therapy has benefits for both dementia patients and their carers. It encourages memory recall and social interaction for patients, decreasing fear and anxiety while improving mood. For carers, music therapy builds a shared experience that promotes feelings of competence in caregiving and regulates patients' emotions. Studies have shown music therapy reduces agitation for patients through low-cost, non-pharmacological means while enhancing health and well-being for both patients and carers.

1. The Benefits of
Carers who sing
to Dementia
Patients
Nicola Cullen
3rd Year General Nurse

2. What is Music Therapy?
Music therapy is defined as ‘’the use of music
and musical elements… in a process to
designed to faciliate and promote
communication, relationships, learning,
mobilisation, expression…to meet physical,
emotional, mental, social and cognitive needs.’’
(WFMT, 2010)

3. The Benefits for Clients
 Encourages memory recall and
reminiscence.
 Decreases fear and anxiety in clients.
 Familiar music promotes a sense of safety.
 Improve mood and provide pleasure.
 Sense of self-satisfaction with remembering.
 Encourages social interaction.

4. The Benefits for Carers
 Builds a shared experience between carer
and client.
 Promotes carer’s feeling of capacity in care.
 Regulates clients emotions.
 Low cost/non pharmacological method of
calming clients.

5. Alive inside
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HLEr-zP3fc
(Movieclips film festivals & Indie films, 2014)

6. Bibliography
Craig, J., 2014. Music therapy to reduce agitation in dementia. Nursing Times, 110(32/33),
pp.12-15.
Hara, M., 2011. Expanding a Care Network for People with Dementia and their Carers
Through Musicking: Participant Observation with “Singing for the Brain”. Voices: A World
Forum For Music Therapy, 11(2).
Movieclips film festivals & Indie films, 2014. Sundance Film Festival (2014) - Alive
Inside: A Story Of Music & Memory Featurette - Documentary HD. [video online]
Available at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HLEr-zP3fc> [Accessed on 1 January
2017].
Osman, S. E., Tischler, V., & Schneider, J., 2016. “Singing for the Brain”: A qualitative
study exploring the health and well-being benefits of singing for people with dementia and
their carers. Dementia (London), 15(6), pp.1326–1339.
Vink, A.C., Bruinsma, M.S. and Scholten, R., 2003. Music therapy for people with
dementia. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 4.