Benefits of music therapy in aged care: what you need to know
Music therapy is beneficial for people with a wide range of health concerns, including people with dementia and brain injuries.
Music is an integral part of daily life. Turning on the radio while driving, listening to music while cooking or creating a playlist to motivate ourselves during exercise is second nature for many of us.
Music plays a fundamental role in our identity, culture and heritage and can evoke powerful memories and emotions.
It can also have a strong influence on our mindset and emotional wellbeing. This makes the practice of clinical music therapy a great tool for relieving a range of physical and mental health conditions, including dementia.
What is music therapy and how does it work?
Music therapy, as a profession, originated in the 1950s to help relieve the physical and emotional trauma experienced by war veterans. The demand for trained professionals steadily grew and, as a result, the Australian Music Therapy Association (AMTA) was established in 1975.
AMTA defines music therapy as “a research-based practice and profession in which music is used to actively support people as they strive to improve their health, functioning and wellbeing”.
Music therapy is beneficial for people with a wide range of health concerns, including people with dementia and brain injuries.
It is a diverse practice encompassing a variety of techniques but it is based on two fundamental methods. The receptive method involves music listening, while the active method focuses on playing instruments.
Qualified music therapists work with people of any age and ability, culture and background. They will set out specific objectives and implement a tailored plan to help the individual achieve their goals. Common goals in music therapy include the development of:
- Communication skills (using vocal/verbal sounds and gestures)
- Social skills (making eye contact, turn-taking, initiating interaction, and self-esteem)
- Sensory skills (through touch, music listening, and levels of awareness)
- Physical skills (fine and gross motor control and movement)
- Cognitive skills (concentration and attention, imitation, and sequencing)
- Emotional skills (expression of feelings non-verbally).
Music plays a fundamental role in our identity, culture and heritage and can evoke powerful memories and emotions.
What are the benefits of music therapy?
There are many proven benefits and advantages of music therapy, including:
1. Reduced anxiety and physical effects of stress
Music has the ability to relive emotional and physical health stress, especially when combined with movement or stimulation of different sensory paths.
2. Positive impact on healing and recovery
It’s suggested that music can positively alter the release of stress hormones that help neurological, immune and respiratory function involved in healing.
3. Management of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia
Studies have shown that music therapy interventions can have a positive effect on motor improvement, control of emotional functions, improvements in daily activities and overall improved quality of life.
4. Reduced depression and other symptoms in older people
Along with physical health benefits for older people, music therapy can improve social, psychological, intellectual and cognitive performance. Both active and passive music therapy methods can improve mood and provide a sense of relief for caregivers.
5. Improved self-expression and communications
For those with mental health condition or physical disabilities, music therapy can help stimulate responses and improve verbal and non-verbal responses.
Why is music therapy is good for the elderly?
Music therapy can play an important role in the care of older people, with many of the 400+ qualified music therapists in Australia working in aged care settings.
It can help seniors and people living with dementia express their feelings, communicate with others and prompt memories through music listening, singing, song writing or playing instruments.
Common music therapy methods include
- playing live or recorded music
- facilitating song choice
- active music making and improvisation
- ‘musical life review’ where the person and/or their loved ones make a compilation of music that is meaningful to them.
There is also a special technique that is used by therapists in which music is improvised to match and slow a person’s breathing rate to help reduce the need for medication.
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How can music therapy help people with dementia?
The use of music therapy for dementia patients is a well-researched phenomenon. Dementia causes changes in cognitive functions, including decision making, judgement, memory, special orientations, reasoning and verbal communication. Dementia is also linked to behavioural and personality changes, depending on the areas affected in the brain.
By applying music therapy in aged care settings, people can experience profound benefits.
1. Awakens parts of the brain to improve mood
In people living with dementia, music therapy can awaken parts of the brain that are not impacted by dementia. It can evoke responses such as singing or humming and even moments of reconnection with loved ones. This can help reduce acute or chronic pain, ease agitation and support emotional well being.
Professor Felicity Baker, the Head of Music Therapy at the University of Melbourne, uses singing and songwriting to ease the behavioural and emotional symptoms of dementia.
“When you hear a piece of music and then the memories become evoked as a result of that, the neural network is activated, and it also then leads to the activation of more positive moods,” she says.
“One of the beautiful things about music is that it takes participants in an agitated state back to safe and pleasurable memories, helping to bring them out of their shells.”
2. Helps with memory and language
Prof Baker says older people tend to remember, and have the most connection with, music from their late teens and early 20s.
“The music stimulates those memories and with those memories comes language. If they’re in early-stage dementia, and more cognitively able, we might start with dialogue around their life and connection with music.”
In a 10-week pilot study in Melbourne in 2017, Prof Baker’s team monitored the benefits of music therapy for a group of aged care residents living with dementia.
She found the progress of implementing music therapy in aged care can be marked.
“Participants are calmer, better-engaged with other people, and seemingly happier,” she said at the time.
Prof Baker is now leading an international study on the effects of home-based music interventions on people living with dementia. Called Homeside, the project is funded by a $4 million grant from the EU Joint Programme on Neurodegenerative Disease Research.
Homeside is training family carers in Australia, the United Kingdom, Norway, Poland and Germany to use music interventions to manage behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia.
“What we want to do is observe how the use of music positively transforms their behaviour and enables them to connect more with their family members, and creates a less stressful environment,” Prof Baker said.
2. Improves dementia symptoms
Another study, from the Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, found residents with dementia who underwent music therapy saw improvements to their symptoms.
The study took place in two care homes, both with a music therapy group and control group who did not participate in music therapy. All groups consisted of residents who had some form of dementia.
In addition to standard care, participants in the intervention group received 1:1 music therapy once a week, over a period of five months. The group showed improvements in their dementia symptoms and wellbeing, as well as a decline in disruptiveness to staff.
The control group showed a decline in all three areas during the course of the trial and afterwards.
The study is published online by the journal BMC Geriatrics.
How IRT implements music therapy in aged care
A number of IRT aged care centres utilise some form of music therapy for aged care residents to support wellbeing, resulting in a positive experience for residents and staff.
- Music listening sessions by a visiting qualified music therapist
- Intergenerational programs where students and residents play music together
- Personalised playlists using familiar songs, often paired with visuals to stimulate memory
- Residents and families collaborate to create music experiences tailored to personal taste
Music therapy at IRT Woodlands
At IRT Woodlands the residents receive fortnightly visits from a music therapist where they listen to music to promote relaxation. The music therapist runs this session along with visiting the secure dementia unit for a session of music therapy.
IRT Woodlands Hospitality Manager Janelle Robinson has noticed a difference in resident behaviour since they started music therapy sessions a few years ago and has seen first-hand how music therapy supports senior wellbeing.
“I have definitely noticed the residents are more relaxed. The dementia patients have become a lot calmer and everyone really enjoys the sessions.”
IRT Woodlands also has an intergenerational Sing Out Loud program where young students from a close-by primary school visit the aged care centre to meet the residents and sing together.
Other IRT sites facilitate their own music experience to engage residents.
Music therapy at IRT Macarthur
IRT Macarthur meets with residents and their families to create a personalised playlist that is customised to meet each resident’s music taste. They can take this playlist and a speaker to their room or around the centre and listen as they please.
They also use visual cues so the resident can feel more immersed in the experience. For example if someone is listening to the Beatles, a picture of the Beatles is shown in front of them resulting in better recollection.
Macarthur Lifestyle Team Leader Yvette Connolly says a number of residents really enjoy having their own playlist to listen to.
“The residents really love it and their families thinks it’s a great idea too.”
Discover what it's like living at an IRT aged care community
FAQs
How effective is music therapy?
Music therapy has proven to be highly effective for older adults, especially in aged care settings. It enhances mental health, can lift mood, reduce anxiety, encourage movement, and even help manage pain. For people living with dementia, music can spark moments of joy, connection, and recognition, even when other forms of communication are challenging. Because it’s tailored to each person’s preferences and needs, the effectiveness of music therapy is higher and offers a gentle, engaging way to support wellbeing.
Why is music good for the elderly?
Music taps into deep emotional and sensory pathways, making it especially powerful for older adults. It can bring back special memories, provide comfort and create a sense of belonging. Whether it’s a toe-tapping classic from the 50s or a calming instrumental, music has the ability to soothe, energise or simply help someone feel more connected, both to themselves and those around them.
Can music therapy help with memory loss in older adults?
Yes, it can. While music can’t reverse memory loss, it can help access parts of the brain that remain surprisingly intact in many people with dementia. Familiar songs often unlock long-forgotten memories or emotions, sometimes helping a person recall names, places or experiences. Music therapy can also ease confusion or agitation, creating calm and meaningful moments, even in later stages of memory decline.
What types of music are used in therapy for older individuals?
The best music for therapy is often the most personal. Therapists work with individuals and families to choose songs that are familiar and meaningful, whether that’s a childhood lullaby, a favourite hymn or music from their early adult years. Gentle classical music, calming music, nature sounds and rhythm-based activities like drumming are also commonly used. The key is to match the music to the person’s mood, preferences and needs in the moment.
How to become a music therapist?
For a person to become a music therapist they must complete an approved music therapy program. In Australia there are only a handful of universities that offer accredited courses.
After completing the course, the individual will have to register with the Australian Music Therapy Association to become an accredited music therapist. You can then work in a range of places including hospitals, aged care, or alongside health care providers to deliver personalised programs to meet individual needs.
Does your loved one need support?
IRT has been supporting older Australians and their families with compassionate care for more than 50 years with aged care centres in NSW, Qld and the ACT. If your loved one needs warm and personalised care you can trust, we'd be more than happy to help.
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