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Arts & Communication

ARTICLE
The effects of music therapy on enhancing the

overall health of elderly patients receiving home
health care: A controlled study

1
1
Yuri Pinheiro , Marina Freire *, Marina Reis , Cláudia Miranda , Samana Vieira ,
1
1
2
and Sheila Lopes 2
1 Department of Instruments and Singing, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte City,
Minas Gerais, Brazil
2 Department of Research, Captamed Continuing Care, Belo Horizonte City, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

Music therapy can be defined as the application of sound and music to integrate
cognitive, affective, and motor aspects, fostering awareness and enhancing creative
processes. Scientific literature lacks studies that standardize music therapy procedures
and assessments for elderly patients receiving home health care. This study aimed to
systematically analyze the effects of music therapy on the overall health of elderly
patients receiving home health care. Twenty elderly individuals were divided into
control and intervention groups, and two blinded examiners used the Individualized
Music Therapy Assessment Profile (IMTAP) and system of music therapy evaluation
for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias scales to evaluate them before and
after 12 weeks of treatment. Only members of the intervention group received weekly
*Corresponding author: individual music therapy sessions. Statistical analysis included inter-rater correlation,
Marina Freire
(marina-freire@ufmg.br) comparison between independent samples (group pairings), and comparison
between related samples (differences between initial and final evaluations within
Citation: Pinheiro Y, Freire M, groups) with a significance threshold of P ≤ 0.05. In the initial condition, the two
Reis M, et al., 2023, The effects
of music therapy on enhancing groups exhibited dissimilarity only in the IMTAP scale’s Musicality and Fine Motricity
the overall health of elderly domains domain among the 15 evaluated domains. Comparing the initial and final
patients receiving home health conditions within each group, the intervention group demonstrated significance in
care: A controlled study. Arts &
Communication, 1(2): 2023. 11 subscales, whereas the control group showed significance in only two subscales.
https://doi.org/10.36922/ac.0396 These results highlight more significant improvements in the intervention group,
Received: April 4, 2023 extending across all dimensions of life. The findings from this study suggest that
music therapy may offer benefits to elderly patients receiving home health care,
Accepted: October 30, 2023
contributing to their overall health.
Published Online: November 10, 2023
Copyright: © 2023 Author(s). Keywords: Music therapy; Home healthcare; Elderly; Overall health
This is an Open-Access article
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium, 1. Introduction
provided the original work is
properly cited. Comprehensive overall healthcare and services aim to provide individuals with a
Publisher’s Note: AccScience continuum of health improvement, addressing different levels of care and individual
Publishing remains neutral with needs throughout their lifespan . Within this expansive perspective of health, which
[1]
regard to jurisdictional claims in [2]
published maps and institutional extends beyond mere disease absence , a multidimensional approach is pursued,
affiliations. focusing on enhancing the quality of life and overall well-being of individuals [3,4] . Models

Volume 1 Issue 2 (2023) 1 https://doi.org/10.36922/ac.0396