Music therapy enhances quality of life at Majora Lane

  • November 27, 2010
  • 316
                        
When someone hears a song from long ago, they can’t help but think back to the time in their life when they heard that music. Patriotic songs touch the hearts of veterans, popular music from youth stirs happy memories, and old hymns take people back to Sundays at home. While music can bring back memories and entertain, professional music therapy is designed to provide powerful therapeutic benefits to the residents of Majora Lane Center for Rehabilitation & Nursing Care in Millersburg. As the Majora Lane Center clinical team develops rehabilitation care programs, music therapy is part of this formal assessment process. Music therapy, focused on specific clinical goals, can be used to maintain and improve levels of physical and cognitive functioning, help with depression, and is also used for pain management. Music therapy designed specifically for geriatric residents is a holistic way to address the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of older adults. The discipline of music therapy (MT) was established in 1950, and in 2009, close to a million people received MT services in hospitals, long-term care facilities, hospices and schools. The American Music Therapy Association defines music therapy as “the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program.” As part of a companywide focus on providing innovative programming that provides the highest quality of life for residents, Altercare of Ohio, Inc. parent company of Majora Lane Center, has been very proactive in incorporating music therapy programs at all locations. Music therapists may work with physical therapists to create exercise and music rehabilitation programs, which help with balance and endurance, or with speech therapists to encourage progress in communication for stroke patients. In addition to working as part of a multi-disciplinary team, music therapists often work alone to provide direct services to clients, either on an individual basis or as part of a therapeutic group. At Majora Lane Center, music therapy is provided for four hours each week for both groups and individuals. Group sessions provide relaxation and comfort and help boost social interaction for people who are not engaging or are depressed. Individual therapy often involves song writing for self-expression and playing instruments to teach new skills. Music therapy is especially valuable for Majora Lane Center residents with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Music memory is preserved better than verbal memory, because music, unlike language, is not seated in a specific area of the brain, but is processed across many parts, it might be one of the last things people connect to. The music therapy goals for Alzheimer’s and dementia residents are to maintain their levels of physical functioning, cognitive abilities and emotional and spiritual well-being through creative movement, listening, singing, playing instruments, songwriting and conversation. A decrease in anxiety and an increase in attention span is one major benefit of these programs. For people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, this holistic, non-pharmaceutical therapy gives people back some of their “self” and allows them to experience calm and positive connections with others. For Alzheimer’s caregivers, it provides a way to reach their loved one. Majora Lane Center’s music therapy program is offered every Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for both Alzheimer’s/dementia residents and other residents. For more information about this special program, please contact Majora Lane Center at 330-674-4444. The facility is located just south of downtown Millersburg.


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