Older people, dementia and stroke
Whether in children or older people, brain injury can stem from a range of causes:
- a physical blow to the head
- vascular haemorrhage or ischemic stroke
- starvation of oxygen in the brain ie cerebral anoxia
- toxic or metabolic events (eg hypoglycaemia)
- viral infection or inflammation.
Other conditions that involve brain injury may be neuro-palliative in nature, such as degenerative diseases like dementia.
Investigative research in neuro-rehabilitation
There are a number of models that influence music therapy practice in neuro-rehabilitation, with the primary aim of helping people to restore their functioning to their levels prior to brain injury.
In the case of degenerative diseases such as dementia, music therapy seeks to improve quality of life by maintaining people's current level of functioning for as long as possible.
At CIMTR, our research seeks to strengthen evidence on the clinical practice of music therapy, and its specific neurophysiological and behavioural impact on the brain-injured population.
The Homeside project
Are you living with dementia, or caring for a person with dementia at home? We're carrying out research into the benefits of music and reading activities for people with dementia, and invite you to take part.
Find out more about Homeside, and how you can get involved.
Our recent research and publications
- Commission on Dementia and Music House of Lords report
- Collaborative ‘Together in Sound’ project with Saffron Hall
We work in partnership with Saffron Hall - a local concert hall based in Saffron Walden - to explore opportunities for co-designed research and music therapy delivery on a local level. Find out more about ‘Together in Sound’
- Street, Alexander J. and Magee, Wendy L. and Bateman, Andrew and Parker, Michael and Odell-Miller, Helen and Fachner, Jörg C. (2017) Home-based neurologic music therapy for arm hemiparesis following stroke: results from a pilot, feasibility randomized controlled trial. Clinical Rehabilitation. ISSN 0269-2155
- Street, Alexander J. and Magee, Wendy L. and Odell-Miller, Helen and Bateman, Andrew and Fachner, Jörg C. (2015) Home-based neurologic music therapy for upper limb rehabilitation with stroke patients at community rehabilitation stage – a feasibility study protocol. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 9 (480). ISSN 1662-5161
- Hsu, Ming Hung and Flowerdew, Rosamund and Parker, Michael and Fachner, Jörg C. and Odell-Miller, Helen (2015) Individual music therapy for managing neuropsychiatric symptoms for people with dementia and their carers: a cluster randomised controlled feasibility study. BMC Geriatrics, 15 (84). ISSN 1471-2318
If you are interested in collaborating with CIMTR to help advance research and practice in this area, email us at [email protected]