Alzheimer's Agitation Prevention Music Therapy Research Paper

Alzheimer's Agitation Prevention Music Therapy - Research Paper Example Moreover, caretakers are also in a happy mood while serving the food making a psychological impact on the patient. The present article highlights the chief themes of agitation as well as aims to examine how intervention of music could control agitation in Alzheimer's patients. Introduction Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a debilitating condition that affects the elderly population. According to Peng (2003), dementia is a condition that â€Å"affects problem solving ability, decision making, judgement, our ability to orient ourselves in space, and our ability to put together simple sentences and understand and communicate with words†¦Dementia is a permanent, progressive disease that affects mostly the elderly.† AD is also a kind of dementia influencing memory of the individual, difficulties in languages, gross motor co-ordination is severely affected, the cognitive abilities are influenced, the decisive power of the individual is affected and thus an overall personality of the individual is altered (Alzheimer's Association, 2004). Agitation is considered as an improper verbal or motor activities. Patients may display four kinds of agitation behavior which are expressed under different themes- * Non-aggressive Verbal Behavior: Under this category illogical jabber takes place. The patient may ask repeated questions, bringing irritation to the caretaker. * Non-aggressive Physical Behavior is displayed when the patient gets bored, frightened or confused and seek security as well as expression for pain. The patient display rapidity, drifting, boring body motions, hoarding or stakeout. * Aggressive Verbal Behavior- The patient may utter abusive words, may curse the care takers which could be awful for the loved ones. * Aggressive Physical Behavior- Patient may display aggression in the form of physical action such as beating, scraping or kicking the care takers. These actions could be sometimes dangerous for the loved ones of the caretakers (Management of Agit ation Behavior). Management of agitation is of paramount significance for Alzheimer's patients. Modification of environment could serve as an imperative step to reduce the agitation. Music is known to be an entertaining action therefore listening to music have positive health implications. Music is calming to ears, relaxes brain and removes gloom and stress. Numerous studies disclose that music has the power to help ailing, injured, physically challenged, mentally unsound individuals or elderly population. These studies indicate that the presence of music serves as a therapy for these cases. Playing patient's favorite music can diminish the agitation. Music enhances the uptake of meals, relaxes the body when played during bath or exercise, fill the individual with positivity and enthusiasm. According to Clark et al (1998), music provides mental strength to the Alzheimer's disease and those suffering with dementia. Their study indicate that music afford a positive advantage as it aid s in diminishing agitation. This is displayed through the behavior of the patient as the patient becomes less aggressive especially during bath time and they also display reduced requirement for physical control. Literature Review Various studies have been carried out across the globe to study