Music Therapy and Aging

Music Therapy and Aging
Summary
Grief, pain, and distress can become unbearable for the bereaved although death is an experience that every individual goes through. Many therapeutic interventions have been developed to help the bereaved cope with death including music therapy interventions. These interventions have shown positive impacts on the cognitive and emotional well-being of the bereaved and older adults with terminal conditions or under hospice care. However, the impact of these interventions on the aging process remains unknown and understudied. The proposed study will look at the effect of music therapy interventions on aging, especially on the frailties brought by old age. The scope of the proposed research is to look at the link between music therapy interventions and the quality of life of elderly people without any chronic or terminal conditions.
This study is expected to provide insights on how to cope or deal with frailties of old age that could result in premature death. Additionally, the study is expected to demonstrate the effectiveness of music therapy as an evidence-based intervention that improves the quality of life. To achieve the purpose of the study, a randomized controlled trial with a pretest-posttest research design will be carried out. Using a purposive sampling technique, a group of older adults aged between 65 and 100 years will be included in the research. These participants will be randomly assigned to an experimental group and a control group. The quality of life indicators will be measured at the baseline before and after administering the intervention. Data from the participants will be statistically analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) in SPSS 22.0. The researcher also intends to include peer-reviewed journals on this topic to establish a foundation for the study. The proposed project will help to develop a substantive theory and evidence-based approach to deal with frailties in old age.
Music Therapy and Aging
Death is an experience that every individual goes through. For the bereaved, grief, pain, and distress associated with death can become unbearable. As a result, therapeutic interventions are used to help during grief and bereavement. Music therapy interventions are among the most commonly used interventions to help the bereaved cope with losing a loved one. According to Ray & Gotell, such interventions are used because they have shown positive effects on well-being (p.1). However, existing studies focus on evaluating the impact of music therapy approaches on terminally ill patients or those under hospice care. There is a gap in the existing literature on the effect of these interventions on aging as the aging population continues to increase. The proposed study will look at the impact of music therapy interventions on aging.
General Area of Study
The proposed project will look at the impact of using music therapy approaches on aging. It is based on the idea that enhancing the experiences of the aging population helps improve their outcomes and ease death. Frail elderly individuals need to maintain autonomy in daily life activities and avoid the progression of functional decline (Murabayashi et al., p.88). Existing studies are biased toward the use of therapeutic interventions for elderly people with terminally ill conditions. However, frailty remains a major issue for the elderly and increases their vulnerability to severe health issues. Therefore, improving the health and well-being of seniors is essential to lessen their need for long-term care. As the demand for long-term care among seniors increases, it is essential to develop evidence-based interventions and effective strategies to improve their quality of life (Cho, p.1). The proposed research will examine the extent to which music therapy interventions improve the quality of life of elderly people without chronic or terminal conditions.
Purpose, Scope, and Significance of the Project
The purpose of this study is to establish whether music therapy is an evidence-based intervention that improves the quality of life of elderly people regardless of their physical and mental health status. Physical, social, emotional, and mental benefits are the areas of particular interest in the proposed project. Music therapy will be used as the intervention given its consideration as a potent non-pharmacological approach to improve the quality of life of aging people (Fang et al., p.1). Additionally, the intervention is based on the idea that music therapy elicits positive cognitive and emotional responses that improve the quality of life (Gold et al., p.2). The study will be carried out on elderly people without any chronic or terminal health conditions. It will look at how music therapy enables these people to maintain independence in daily life activities, avoid functional decline, and prevent mental health issues. The findings of the study will provide insights on how to improve the quality of life of the aging population.
New Learning
This project is expected to enhance my understanding of how to deal with frailties that could result in premature death among the aging population. It will also help me understand how these interventions can be utilized beyond the healthcare environment to aid the functionality, health, and well-being of seniors. Insights from the study are vital towards enhancing people’s ability to cope with death and dying.
Research Methodology and Resources
A randomized controlled trial with a pretest-posttest research design will be adopted for the proposed research. A group of participants aged between 65 and 100 years will be included in the study. The study sample will be identified using the purposive sampling approach through which participants must meet established criteria to be included in the research. The participants should not have any underlying chronic or terminal condition and are experiencing frailties brought by aging. Study participants will then be randomly assigned to two groups; an experimental group and a control group. Music therapy intervention will be administered to the experimental group while the control group will not receive any intervention. The intervention will be administered to the experimental group by a music therapist at least thrice a week for four weeks. Quality of life indicators will be measured at the baseline and after the final session using a questionnaire. The difference in the pretest and posttest data will then be statistically analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0. The specific effects of the intervention will be determined using analysis of variance (ANOVA) data analysis approach. The project findings will also be compared to existing literature published in peer-reviewed journals, which will be referenced using the MLA citation style.
Evidence of Learning
The study is expected to demonstrate the widespread applicability of music therapy interventions to non-clinical settings for the aging population. Therefore, the evidence of learning from this proposed project is the identification of music therapy interventions as evidence-based approaches for enhancing the living experiences of elderly people.
Personal and Professional Development
This project will help fulfill my capacity as a self-directed lifelong learner by allowing me to apply concepts learned in the classroom to real-world scenarios. Through this, I will influence the development of a substantive theory and evidence-based approach regarding the role of music therapy interventions in the quality of life of the elderly. The project will help me grow personally and professionally by enabling me to contribute toward addressing a gap in existing literature and identification of an evidence-based intervention for frail older adults.
Works Cited
Cho, Heeyoun K. “The Effects of Music Therapy-Singing Group on Quality of Life and Affect of Persons With Dementia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” Frontiers in Medicine, vol. 5, no. 279, 15 Oct. 2018, pp. 1–13., doi: 10.3389/fmed.2018.00279.
Fang, Rong, et al. “Music Therapy Is a Potential Intervention for Cognition of Alzheimer’s Disease: a Mini-Review.” Translational Neurodegeneration, vol. 6, no. 1, 25 Jan. 2017, pp. 1–8., doi:10.1186/s40035-017-0073-9.
Gold, Christian, et al. “Music Interventions for Dementia and Depression in Elderly Care (MIDDEL): Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan for a Multinational Cluster-Randomized Trial.” BMJ Open, vol. 9, no. 3, 30 Mar. 2019, pp. 1–14., doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2018-023436.
Murabayashi, Nobuyuki, et al. “Effects of Music Therapy in Frail Elderlies: Controlled Crossover Study.” Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders Extra, vol. 9, no. 1, 2019, pp. 87–99., doi:10.1159/000496456.
Ray, Kendra D., and Eva Götell. “The Use of Music and Music Therapy in Ameliorating Depression Symptoms and Improving Well-Being in Nursing Home Residents With Dementia.” Frontiers in Medicine, vol. 5, no. 287, 9 Oct. 2018, pp. 1–6., doi:10.3389/fmed.2018.00287.