"The Preference for Vibrotactile Versus Auditory Stimuli in Severely Regressed Persons with Dementia of the Alzheimer's Type compared with Dementia Due to Ethanol Abuse"

Source:
Published Journal Article

Location:
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Topeka, Kansas

Contact Information:
Alicia Ann Clair, Ph.D RMT-BC, Director of Music Therapy
Department of Art, Music Education and Music Therapy
311 Baily Hall, The University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas 66045 Barry Bernstein, RMT-BC, Clinical Music Therapist
Colmery-O'Neil Veterans Affairs Medical Center
2200 Gage Boulevard
Topeka, Kansas 66622

This study looked at the responses of nine patients with Dementia to three different musical experiences;

1) music experienced vibrotactily via a Somatron, 2) the same music experienced free field via a tape player, and 3) periods of no music. All of the participants were shown how to choose between the three experiences (Somatron, free-field music, no music) by moving their arm, activating a switch that was on their wrist. The author found that the patients did not appear to make consistent purposeful choices during the study. No differences were noted between the responses of those participants who’s dementia was associated with Alzheimers and those who’s dementia was associated with Ethanol abuse. The author stated that the results were inconclusive. She suggested the changes in routine and the unfamiliar environment created by participating in the study as possible reasons for the inconclusive findings.