Blog

How Music Therapy Helps Older Adults

If you’ve ever put on your favorite music in order to relax, you know the power of music to help people feel better. In fact, music therapy has increasingly been recognized for its therapeutic benefits, particularly among older adults, including those with various health challenges. Music therapy has been used to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs, providing significant benefits that enhance the quality of life for older adults. 

“Music offers so many things to so many clients,” says Katie Chiappinelli, M.Ed., who manages LifeCare Advocates’ Flourish program. “It holds potential to ease a client’s mind through familiar songs from yesteryear.”  

What is music therapy?  

Music therapy involves structured sessions with a trained music therapist who uses music as the tool to achieve individualized goals. These goals can range from improving cognitive function and physical health to enhancing emotional well-being and fostering social connections. 

According to the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), a therapy session might include “music improvisation, receptive music listening, song writing, lyric discussion, music and imagery, music performance, and learning through music.”  

“Music can awaken a part of your soul – you don’t need to speak about what’s happening, you can just absorb the moment,” says Chiappinelli. “Music doesn’t make demands, music doesn’t ask you if you remember, music offers a connection that can be as simple or as complex as a person may need in that moment.” 

Research has shown music therapy can provide the following benefits for older adults:  

1. Cognitive enhancement. Music therapy is especially helpful for those experiencing cognitive impairments, such as Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia. It can help stimulate cognitive function not just through singing and recalling lyrics and rhythms—which are often retained in memory long after other memories fade—but also through clapping along or playing instruments.
2. Physical rehabilitation. It may be surprising, but music therapy can also serve as a form of physical rehabilitation. Rhythmic music encourages movement, which can help improve mobility and coordination. Music is often used in coordination with physical therapy exercises to make the rehabilitation process more engaging and less strenuous.
3. Emotional support. Music has a profound ability to tap into our emotions, making it an excellent tool for emotional expression and processing. For older adults dealing with anxiety, depression, or loneliness, music therapy provides a safe space to express feelings and achieve a sense of relief and calmness.
4. Social engagement. Older adults often face social isolation. Music therapy sessions, whether they are one-on-one or in group settings, help foster a sense of community and belonging. Participating in music-making and sharing experiences with peers can significantly improve social interactions and reduce feelings of isolation.

“It’s amazing to see the smile that a familiar song can bring to a client,” says Chiappinelli. “If memories are hard to come by, music can offer a calming presence through its beats and melodies.”  

How to access music therapy—or design your own 

The AMTA explains that “Music therapists work in psychiatric hospitals, rehabilitative facilities, medical hospitals, outpatient clinics, day care treatment centers,” and many others. They may also serve clients through private practice. Do an online search, or ask your doctor or your LifeCare Advocates life care manager for a referral.  

Another option is to simply create your own at-home music therapy activities. Set aside some time on a regular basis to sing songs, play instruments, or play music-based games. If you do it with friends or family members, so much the better!  

Whether it’s done in a formal setting or at home, music therapy can provide a more joyful, fulfilling, and harmonious quality of life for people of all ages. “Music connects you to a part of yourself that’s well, and that’s true no matter what patient population we’re working with,” said Lorrie Kubicek of the Mass General Cancer Center, in a recent article from Harvard Health. “Music remains, no matter the challenges a person is facing.”