Resources & references

Mental health dementia wards in the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom provide specialist care for people with dementia experiencing acute levels of distress. This study tested the feasibility of delivering a standardised music therapy protocol on these wards and the suitability of the research methods.

Researchers at the University of Limerick discuss their respective studies in music therapy and arts-based research among older adults with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Presentations include testimonials and music performances used in arts-based research.

The objectives of the study were: i) to describe the characteristics and effectiveness of music therapy interventions which aim to improve health-related outcomes for adult informal carers of adults with life-threatening illness, and ii) to describe the experience of music therapy for adult informal carers of adults with life-threatening illness. Conclusion: qualitative studies provide moderate to strong evidence for improved health-related outcomes for adult informal carers of adults with life-threatening illness pre-bereavement. 

Symphony musicians, a music therapist, and a speech language pathologist work together with dementia patients to facilitate a therapeutic experience that enhances long term memories, reminiscence, and quality of life.

Watch as music therapist Kelsey MacDonald provides music therapy sessions to a patient with dementia at Aberdeen Hospital and listen to testimonials from the patient's daughter and the director of the palliative care unit.

Watch a video about music therapy in an aged care center. The music therapist discusses how he approaches his job in this setting, and gives examples of how music therapy has helped certain clients.

This article explores the evidence-based benefits of music therapy among adults with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. It references existing research showing how music enhances communication, cognitive functioning, physical activity, memory, reality orientation, and quality of life.

Learn more about the benefits of music therapy by seeing a music therapy experience in action 

This reference book offers a  comprehensive look at the use of music therapy with elderly and those living with dementia based on the research and experience of experts from around the world. It can serve as a resource for caregivers and families of individuals with dementia or Alzheimer's disease and for music therapists.

Click here to see an example of how music therapy has been used in dementia care.

This brief entry is a summary of a peer-reviewed article. It explains succinctly what is music therapy in palliative care. 

Click here to read the related research study.

The article describes an innovative method of facilitating grief resolution using precomposed music that is significant to the patient after a major loss. In this method, music is of equal importance with verbal processing as part of the overall therapeutic approach. Musical improvization is also used as a primary tool to reflect back to, and affirm for, the patient the affective content of his or her life story. 

Heather Overly, a board-certified music therapist leads a music therapy session with an older adult in hospice care. She explains how music therapy can improve quality of life among this population.

This book presents some of the work from music therapists working in different approaches, in different countries, showing how valuable the inclusion of music therapy in palliative care has already proved to be. It is important for the dying, or those with terminal illness, that approaches are used which integrate the physical, psychological, social and spiritual dimensions of their being.