A comprehensive Music Based Approach for Chronic Pain in a 96 year old Female

The clinical report briefly highlights the significant issue of pain comorbid with dementia in older adults. Pain manifests in a variety of behaviours such as anxiety and agitation; and pharmaceuticals which are the principal treatment approach often do not fully eliminate or provide effective or complete pain management. Music based interventions (MBIs) and music therapy have been used with older adults as treatment options for pain and the behavioural and psychological symptoms (BPSD) of dementia for decades. Increasingly more researchers are writing about how caregivers can utilize MBIs including music therapy in a comprehensive treatment approach for those with dementia to manage BPSD symptoms including pain. This paper presents the case example of ‘Suyen’ to illuminate how MBIs and music therapy were included in a comprehensive music based approach for pain and overall wellness in an older adult with dementia and multiple health conditions.