When watching the documentary, I constantly compared the techniques used in the nursing homes to those discussed in class. In class, we discussed the elderly and Geriatrics. The lectures dealt with elderly who had neurological disorders like: Depression, Alzheimer’s, Dementia, Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder, etc. Specifically, in the documentary, music was used to treat patients like Denise, a bipolar schizophrenic patient, her illness may not have improved, but she was able to feel more “alive inside” and a short term of happiness. …show more content…
Prior to learning about it, the illness seemed to be a disorder that causes people to forget their loved ones and past memories. However, after learning about it, in lecture, I found out it is classified as a Neurocognitive Disease. Also, in the documentary, with Marylou as an example, Alzheimer’s is must worse than what I thought. It could lead you to forget your existence, how to write your name, the name of things you see or use on a daily basis like utensils, or up and down buttons. However, music therapy for Alzheimer’s patients shows that there is a connection between Music and Memory. In the documentary, I learned that when a mother is pregnant, from the sixth month in the womb, a baby can learn to sing according to the sound of their mother, thus, when they cry after birth, it is in a similar rhythm to their mother’s speech. Music stays in our memory longer.
For further studying, I would study the effect of music upon individuals with the same type of disorders but among various age groups. For example, will the effects that Music Therapy has on an Alzheimer’s patient who is 65 years old, produce the same result in a patient suffering from amnesia at 26 years of age? Or, patients that are paralyzed, in a coma, does music help them in any