Possibilities of music in treating agitation caused by dementia – A literature review

The purpose of this literature review is to collect information on possibilities of music in treating agitation caused by dementia. This review will offer a point of view that is suitable for health care professionals as well as professionals in the music industry. The working life partner for this literature review is the Finnish Accordion Association.\n\nThis literature review is based on five academic research articles. The data has been obtained from databases such as ProQuest Central and CINAHL (EBSCOhost). The analysis method used in this review is thematic analysis. The themes chosen for this thesis are the impact of music on agitation caused by dementia and the factors related to the impact of music on agitation caused by dementia.\n\nThe results show that music has a positive impact on agitation caused by dementia, reducing it significantly. The results also bring up different factors that are related to the impact of music in agitation caused by dementia. These factors include individual music interventions, using familiar and preferred music and being in a familiar environment.\n\nThe results of this literature review can be used as directional basis for further research. The review is rather concise, so further research to ensure the validity of the results is suggested. For future research, it is suggested that more of functional researches that focus specifically on the impact of music in treating agitation should be considered. This could offer a broader view on the the subject.