Document Type

Capstone

Abstract

The overall concept of this study is to explore and gather evidence to support the positive impact that music can have on individuals with neurological impairments or disorders in areas including communication, cognition/memory, psychosocial skills, and motor skills. The goal is to examine how music can be a powerful tool in increasing patient outcomes and how occupational therapy (OT) practitioners can utilize music as a tool in their own practice setting. As OT practitioners, our overarching goal is to facilitate functional and effective participation in occupation while promoting emotional well-being and high quality of life. We have the unique privilege to be able to use our creativity and think outside of the box in planning and implementing effective treatment strategies with our patients, yet we often forget the simple, low-cost strategies we can utilize to engage patients who may seem less responsive or interested in therapy. For example, individuals with diagnoses such as autism or Alzheimer's Disease may be more challenging for the therapy practitioner to engage with, as communication, behavior, and cognitive deficits are common factors associated with these diagnoses. In researching music and its impact on wellbeing, I have found numerous articles that indicate positive results in utilizing music to increase motor and verbal skills, memory, communication, mood, social skills, increased independence with activities of daily living, and others. If utilized correctly, music can have a powerful effect on quality of life and patient outcomes and supports our profession's vision to provide client-centered and evidenced-based care to our clients.

Publication Date

7-2019

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