音樂治療在失智症老人躁動行為處置的運用

Application of Music Therapy for Managing Agitated Behavior in Older People with Dementia

罹患失智症的老人常會出現負向情緒、記憶障礙、睡眠問題及躁動行為等症狀，其中又以躁動行為是家屬及護理人員在照顧上最困擾的問題。諸多研究結果指出音樂治療能降低失智症老人躁動行為發生的頻率，常被建議為能處理失智症老人躁動行為的有效措施之一。音樂治療為一簡單、經濟且有效的照護措施，護理相關照護人員可輕易學習並運用在失智症老人身上，以減少其躁動行為的發生頻率，亦可減輕照顧者的壓力及負荷，進而促進失智症老人的身心健康及生活品質。本文就音樂治療在失智症老人躁動行為處置的運用及施行原則做一介紹。

Older people with dementia may display negative emotions, memory problems, sleep disturbance, and agitated behavior. Among these symptoms, agitated behavior has been identified by families and nursing staff as the care problem that presents the greatest challenge. Several studies have found that music therapy reduced agitated behaviors in those with dementia and recommended use of music as an effective strategy in managing this behavioral problem. Music therapy represents a lower cost, effective care approach that nursing staff can easily learn and apply to those with dementia. Furthermore, reductions in agitated behavior in dementia patients that result from music therapy can also alleviate caregiver stress and burden of care, leading to improvements in the health and quality of life of both dementia patients and their caregivers. This paper aims to introduce the principles and application of music therapy in the management of agitated behavior in those with dementia.