Music Therapy History – Have You Heard?
The idea of music being used as a healing influence has been around for over 2,000 years. Practice in the 20th century stemmed after WWI and WWII when community musicians went to the veterans hospitals playing their instruments for thousands of physically and emotionally traumatized soldiers. The patients’ notable responses led doctors and nurses to permanently hiring the musicians at the hospitals.
Individuals who can benefit from such therapies are children, adolescents, adults and elderly with mental health issues, developmental and learning disabilities, Alzheimer’s and other age-related conditions, brain injuries, physical disabilities and those dealing with acute chronic pain.
Some of the venues in which music therapists work include rehab facilities, hospitals, outpatient clinics, day care treatments centers, senior centers, nursing homes and hospice programs to name a few. In a hospital setting, music therapy is used to alleviate pain, elevate patients’ mood while counteracting depression, promote movement for physical rehab, calm or sedate, minimize anxiety in addition to decreasing muscle tension. In regards to a rehabilitation standpoint, music therapy is used to neurologically manipulate inner brain functions such as motor, speech and cognitive processes.
Music therapy is utilized in skilled nursing environments to increase or maintain patients’ physical, mental and social/emotional functioning, especially in the elderly population. In Alzheimer’s patients, it is used specifically to cue memory recall and socialization.
Article courtesy of RehabCare Student blog. RehabCare provides college recruiting for Physical Therapists, Physical Therapy Assistants, Occupational Therapists, Occupational Therapy Assistants and Speech Language Pathologists.
