Music therapy with patients affected by dementia or Parkinson’s disease: study on sound/music stimulation

Abstract

Background: In 2014, the Helvetic Music Institute started an introductory music therapy project in the nursing home “La Quercia” (Acquarossa, CH). The positive results obtained brought into being a new project meant to study and assess the effects of music therapy on motor, emotional, memory and cognitive skills.Methods: Weekly music therapy settings (3 hours × 40 weeks, Phenomenological-relational Methodology) were held with two groups of people affected by dementia or Parkinson’s disease. The assessment includes the Music Therapy Assessment Form developed by the Helvetic Music Institute, the Mini-Mental State Examination together with a new music perception/production assessment form, conceived by Paolo Cattaneo. This instrument contains rhythmic, melodic, harmolodic and prosodic stimulation tests meant to assess more accurately the fine and gross motor activity, as well as the emotional and the cognitive responses to music therapy.Discussion: The expected results are improvements in the participant’s q...