Geriatric Mental Health Disaster and Emergency Preparedness

Chapter 12 Complementary and Alternative Approaches 219
Music therapy is the systematic use of music within a developing relationship
between a professional music therapist and client to restore,
maintain, and /or improve physical, emotional, psychosocial, and neurological
function (American Music Therapy Association, 2009).
Art therapy is based on the belief that the creative process involved in
artistic self-expression helps people resolve conflicts and problems, develop
interpersonal skills, manage behavior, reduce stress, increase selfesteem
and self-awareness, and achieve insight (American Art Therapy
Association, 2009). Collage therapy has been used with older persons for
stress management related to disasters (Mariano, Sherman, & Sherman,
2007 ).
Dance/movement therapy is the psychotherapeutic use of movement
as a process to further the emotional, social, cognitive, and physical integration
of the individual (American Dance Therapy Association, 2009).
Poetry and journaling therapy and bibliotherapy are used synonymously
to describe the intentional use of poetry and other forms of literature
for healing and personal growth (National Association of Creative Arts
Therapies, 2009).
Drama therapy is the intentional use of drama and /or theater processes
to achieve therapeutic goals (National Association for Drama Therapy,
2009).
Psychodrama is one of the earliest of the arts therapies and was developed
as an action-oriented alternative to classical psychoanalysis (American
Society of Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama, 2009).
Reaching Older Persons With Dementia Through Music
Music is a powerful tool for reaching those for whom words no longer effectively
convey meaning, particularly those with communication impairment
as commonly found in older persons with dementia. This is especially
true during times of communal stress such as disasters. Clinical studies
in music therapy have demonstrated that the use of familiar songs has
a positive therapeutic influence on associative memory recall as well as
mood in persons with dementia (Clair, 1996; Cocconetti, Fionda, Zannino,
Ettore, & Margialino, 1999; Sacks & Tomaino, 1991; Schulkind, Hennis, &
Rubin, 1999; Tomaino, 1998a, 1998b). Because of the strong associations
attributed to songs or particular harmonies, music can be used to affect
mood states. Listening to pleasing music can result in enhanced mood
and reduced discomfort or pain (Blood, Zatorre, Bermudez, & Evans,
1999). Music can also serve to relax the older person through slow rhythmic