Music therapy for older adults living with physical and cognitive impairment : a systematic review

Abstract

Music therapy is considered as an effective intervention for older adults. However, there are few studies that summarize and evaluate the effect of music therapy intervention on older adults living with physical or cognitive impairment. Physical impairments include Parkinson's disease, stroke, and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Cognitive impairments include dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and mild cognitive impairments. The purpose of this systematic review was to explore the role of music therapy for older adults living with the mentioned physical and cognitive impairments. This includes examining common music therapy goals and activities, comparing the most effective music therapy activities; and summarize the effects of music therapy interventions. This systematic review was conducted in the following databases: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Academic Search Complete. After searching from these three databases, 7 studies out of 166 studies met the inclusion criteria. The results showed that music therapy intervention has positive effects on physical and cognitive functioning of older adults.