Читать книгу The Creative Arts in Counseling - Samuel Gladding T., Samuel T. Gladding - Страница 52

“Music serves two primary roles in the lives of older people. . . . First, it evokes emotions, memories, and past connections in the person’s life. Second, it can facilitate the enjoyment of shared interests and activities” (Duffey et al., 2006/2007, p. 52). Older adults benefit from participating in music. In fact, sharing a song can result in the creation of a therapeutic bond that affects the quality and longevity of life. For instance, in his Creativity and Aging study, Cohen (2005) followed a group of older adults averaging 80 years in age who participated in chorale programs at the Levine School of Music in Washington, DC, beginning in December 2001. After 2 years of comparing the music participants with a control group of similar individuals, Cohen found that the music participants

 reported better health and fewer falls;

 showed a slower rate of increase in doctor visits than nonparticipants;

 increased medication usage at a significantly lower rate than nonparticipants;

 showed greater improvements in depression, loneliness, and morale; and

 increased social interaction while nonparticipants decreased interaction.

Overall, playing or making music with older persons has several goals, including the promotion of social interaction, the enhancement of self-worth, the encouragement of self-expression, the increasing of mood and energy, the lessening of pain, and the recall of past events (Clements-Cortés, 2017; Osborn, 1989; Rio, 2002). Ways of conducting sessions vary, and sessions may be carried out in a formal or an improvised manner. When sessions are formally conducted, members of these groups follow more of a schedule, and their personal or interpersonal gains may become secondary to the achievements of the group as a whole. If the sessions are less formally conducted, however, more creativity and interaction may occur with less music.