Music Therapy Today - World Federation of Music Therapy

Aldridge, D. (2007) Dining rituals and music. Music Therapy Today (Online 1st April) Vol.VIII (1)
26-38. available at http://musictherapyworld.net
manipulation of non physiological factors, such as the number of other
people present at meals, the palatability of meals, and the time of day and
location of meals. (de Castro, 2002). Food consumption and the dining
experience are an integral part of the resident's life in a nursing facility. It
is important that resident preferences are recognised and the dining expe-
rience is as pleasant and home-like as possible (DePorter, 2005).
Habits and rituals
Habits and rituals are the social structures of everyday life in an institu-
tion. Personal development, age, and support from one's surroundings
determine the degree to which a person may continue or alter acquired
patterns of habit and ritual (Andersen, 1992).
There are several studies that suggest the improvement of the dining
facility and they all focus on meeting individual needs, promoting inde-
pendence and avoiding excess disability that improve quality of life
(Bower, 1996; Bonnel, 1993; Crogan, Evans, Severtsen, & Shultz, 2004;
Herman, 2005). Providing residents with a homelike, pleasant dining
atmosphere should promote socialization, enhance awareness, and
increase appetites, thereby improving the residents' quality of life (Hotal-
ing, 1990).
Music and arousal
In the ‘typical’ decline of Alzheimer’s disease some skills seem to be
spared longer in the degeneration process, e.g. the prosodic aspects of
language, abilities related to procedural memory, and skills related to
music. Even if the ability to sing progressively is lost in advanced stages
of dementia, singing is described in the literature to have beneficial
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