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
In any residential setting it is necessary to be aware of the environmental
conditions of lighting and heating (McDaniel, Hunt, Hackes, & Pope,
2001). What we often forget is the acoustic environment in which we
live. Not only do we orientate ourselves in time and space through our
visual sense, we less orientate ourselves aurally. In situations where a
radio or television are continually being played, then we fail to provide a
sound structure within which people can orientate themselves acousti-
cally. This disorientation can also provoke agitation (McGilton, Rivera,
& Dawson, 2003).
Music and agitation
Music is a powerful tool for maintaining and restoring health; it can be
used to induce relaxation, alter moods, and create distraction (Aldridge,
2000; Aldridge & Aldridge, 1992) and has been used successfully to
reduce agitation in dining settings (Hicks-Moore, 2005). While Kramer
suggests that nurses have a responsibility to understand and use music in
their practice (Kramer, 2001), perhaps we could extend that to say that
nurses need to understand the sound environment in which they work.
Relaxing music buffers the general noise level typically found in dining
rooms of nursing homes, exerts a calming effect, and reduces agitated
behaviors among residents with severe cognitive impairment. Significant
reductions are observed on the cumulative incidence of total agitated
behaviors (63.4%); as well as the cumulative incidence of physically
nonaggressive behaviors (56.3%) and verbally agitated behaviors
(74.5%) (Goddaer & Abraham, 1994).
In a study of people in a nursing home ward, dinner music was played
during three periods of 2 weeks. The residents were particularly affected
by soothing music from the 1920’s and 1930’s. Residents spent more
Music and agitation 32