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ISSN 2063-5346
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MUSIC THERAPY: ITS IMPACT ON MEMORY FUNCTIONS AMONG NON – CLINICAL ELDERLY POPULATION

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Ritwika Basu
» doi: 10.31838/ecb/2023.12.si6.111

Abstract

The global rise in ageing population necessitates enhanced healthcare services for older adults. Music has long been acknowledged for its therapeutic potential in addressing psychological and physiological challenges. This study aims to investigate how music can be utilised as a therapeutic tool to enhance memory functions in elderly individuals who do not have cognitive impairments. Methods: For the present study, a Randomized Controlled Pre-post design was employed, involving a sample of 80 non – clinical or community older adults aged between 60 and 80 years. The Mini – Mental State Examination (MMSE) was utilised as a screening test to exclude individuals with cognitive impairments. The participants were randomly divided into two groups: the Intervention Group and the Control Group. The Intervention Group received individual biweekly Music Therapy interventions for a duration of three months. The measures assessed in this study were Working Memory and Episodic Memory. Baseline assessments were conducted before the start of the Music Therapy intervention, and Post – Intervention assessments were carried out after the completion of the intervention. Results: The findings of the study indicate that Music Therapy has shown improvement in various aspects of memory functions in older individuals. These results suggest that Music Therapy could be a feasible and effective complementary tool for enhancing memory functions in healthy older adults. However, further extensive research with larger sample sizes and exploration of different modes of Music Therapy interventions is needed to provide additional support for these findings.

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