Combining music and dance movement therapy for people with dementia living in the community: a mixed methods feasibility study

Steven Lyons*, Ken Fletcher, Henrieta Tomasova, Maggie Chessher, Vicky Karkou

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (journal)peer-review

1 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Dementia is affecting an increasing number of people world-wide and presents a need to find more evidence-based therapies that can improve quality of life and care. Music therapy and dance movement therapy are two forms of arts therapies that share an active, embodied and improvisatory approach, however, maximising the benefits of combining music and dance movement therapy has not been researched with this population. In this feasibility study a convergent mixed methods design was used to evaluate the feasibility of using an intervention that combined music and dance movement therapy drawing on a systematic literature review. A dance movement therapist and a music therapist ran two session blocks involving eight participants in total. The Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia was used at three assessment points (baseline, 5 weeks and 10 weeks) indicating an overall reduction in scores. Qualitative methods included multiple forms of data (video, reflective tool, journal) and focused on significant moments of connection between thoughts, feelings and physical sensations. It generated three main themes in the therapeutic process: making connections, acknowledging grief and loss, and growth and empowerment. This study contributes original knowledge to arts therapies research in the development of a research-based treatment approach involving a collaborative model of practice, an exploration of new arts-based data collection tools and testing this intervention in a community setting.
Original languageEnglish
Article number102226
JournalThe Arts in Psychotherapy
Early online date23 Oct 2024
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 23 Oct 2024

Keywords

  • dementia
  • arts therapies
  • music therapy
  • dance movement therapy
  • mixed methods
  • feasibility study

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Combining music and dance movement therapy for people with dementia living in the community: a mixed methods feasibility study'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this