Article preview: An interview with Amy Clements-Cortes and Melissa Mercadal-Brotons.

Telehealth Music Therapy For Persons With Dementia And/Or Caregivers

1. Can you provide an overview of the article and the topics it explores?

Telehealth is not a new practice, but it is fairly new in the discipline of music therapy. In this article we offer information on Telehealth, including definitions,  ethical issues, technical needs and challenges, the need for training, and some practical recommendations for music therapists as well as clients.

2. What was the impetus for writing this article?

Dr. Melissa Brotons formed a Special Interest Group for the IAMM Conference in 2020, focusing on Music and Music Therapy in Dementia Care. The impetus for this paper on telehealth was to reflect the current reality, and at the same time challenges music therapists are facing in working with people with dementia and their caregivers. Telehealth has been adopted by many music therapists from around the globe to continue offering services and doing research with people with dementia.

3. What has fostered your interest in this area of study?

The Special Interest Group International team has considerable experience in dementia care. We desired to explore and share more on the topic of telehealth as there was a dearth of research in this area.

4. Can you tell us more about the IAMM Special Interest Group that you are a part of? 

This SIG was formed to delve into the existent, growing literature on music therapy and music-based interventions with people of dementia with their caregivers. The eight international members of the group, all experts in the field of dementia, had a special interest in creating a frame of reference for the practice of music therapy and music-based interventions to ensure that each person with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, who receives treatment through music obtains the maximum possible benefit. The establishment of music-based interventions and music therapy standards, based on scientific evidence, is considered a necessity to achieve this goal in view of the growing number of people with dementia and the increasing use of music for therapeutic purposes with this population by a variety of professionals.

5. How does your article relate to the rest of this Special Edition?

Telehealth has become a reality and a necessity for music therapists to explore and adopt as a consequence of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to continue providing music therapy services to people with dementia and their caregivers.  So, this is a current topic that certainly needs to be explored and researched further, but it had to be addressed and included in this special issue to reflect the most current modalities of interventions professional music therapists carry out.

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Table of Contents

MUSIC-BASED INTERVENTIONS FOR PEOPLE WITH ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE AND RELATED DEMENTIAS: A REVIEW OF THE RESEARCH

Suzanne B. Hanser

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Foundations of dementia care for music therapy and music based interventions: Part I

Amy Clements-Cortés, Suzanne B. Hanser, Melissa Mercadal-Brotons

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MUSIC THERAPY & MUSIC BASED INTERVENTIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF DEMENTIA: THE NEED FOR CLINICAL GUIDELINES

Melissa Mercadal-Brotons, Concetta M. Tomaino, Tereza Raquel Alcântara Silva, Shirlene Vianna Moreira

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The impact of singing on the language abilities of people with moderate to severe-stage Alzheimer’s disease

Ayelet Dassa, Dorit Amir

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Evaluating the use of music-assisted caregiving interventions by certified nursing assistants caring for nursing home residents with HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders and depressive symptoms: A mixed-methods study

Kendra Ray, Girija Kaimal, Ayelet Dassa, Jaime Slaughter-Acey, Mary Mittelman

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Reflections on the challenges of the new (online) music therapy setting for people with dementia

Ayelet Dassa, Kendra Ray, Amy Clements-Cortés

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TELEHEALTH MUSIC THERAPY FOR PERSONS WITH DEMENTIA AND/OR CAREGIVERS

Amy Clements-Cortés, Melissa Mercadal-Brotons, Tereza Raquel Alcântara Silva, Shirlene Vianna Moreira

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Read the new edition of Music and Medicine here.