A eficácia da musicoterapia na reabilitação cognitiva de idosos com a doença de Alzheimer: uma revisão sistemática

Abstract

Due to the advancement of health promotion, disease control and declining birth rates in recent decades, there has been a growing aging of the world population. A consequence of this fact is the intensification of concerns with the preservation of senescence health. The aging process is a phase where changes occur in physical, psychological and social aspects and marks the decline of various functions in individuals. Alzheimer's disease (AD) usually begins later, around 60 and 70 years. It is a degenerative disease resulting in a gradual deterioration and death of nerve cells. Although its exact cause is still unknown, there are some conditions that act as a protective factor, such as higher education, history of complex intellectual activity during life, physical activity, social engagement or healthy eating. Due to the ease of operation with AD patients and their caregivers, low cost and the absence of side effects, Music Therapy (MT) has become a skillful option for disease intervention, with improved cognitive functions, success in neuropsychiatric symptoms and quality of patients' lives. The aim of this article was to make a integrative literature review in order to synthesize results from research on a topic and analyze systematically the effectiveness of MT on cognitive Alzheimer's. The review was made in Portuguese and English, in the databases of PubMed, Scielo, Google Scholar, and Cochrane. For selection of articles, the review followed five steps. In the first stage of our search, 440 articles were identified. In the second stage, 398 articles were excluded after the use of exclusion inclusion criteria, resulting in nine articles that were included in this study. The authors surveyed show considerable evidence that music is appreciated by AD patients, even at more advanced stages of the disease. The studies identified in the systematic use of Music Therapy treatment on AD, suggest improvements in the cognitive function, beyond success in neuropsychiatric symptoms, on the quality of life of patients and support of their respective families.