Ming Hung Hsu, chief music therapist at MHA, explains how music therapy can help carers manage the symptoms of dementia, helping to regulate the emotions, reducing anxiety and creating a relaxed environment for those who are affected and those around them
It is no secret that the number of people living with dementia in the UK is on the rise. There are currently 850,000 people living with dementia and by 2025 this number is expected to rise to over one million. Every three minutes someone receives a dementia diagnosis,1and this year dementia overtook heart disease as the leading cause of death in England and Wales, predominantly in women.2It is worth noting that about 70 per cent of people in care homes have dementia or severe memory problems.
Most people associate dementia with memory loss, but the condition affects individuals in a wide variety of ways. This might include changes in behaviour, confusion and disorientation, delusions and hallucinations, difficulty communicating, problems judging speed and distance and even cravings for particular foods. These issues are caused by a group of non-cognitive symptoms known as the neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) of dementia, which include agitation, apathy, aberrant motor behaviour, psychosis and mood and emotional disorders, such as depression and anxiety. However, everyone’s experience of dementia is different.
Unsurprisingly, the prevalence of these symptoms is high in nursing homes; over 90 per cent of care home residents have been reported to be affected by NPS, with agitation being the most common symptom. A resident’s mood has a major impact on their quality of life, and also impacts on the quality of life of the people around them.
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