Neurologic Music Therapy in Geriatric Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review

Abstract

(1) Introduction: Neurologic music therapy (NMT) is a non-pharmacological approach of interaction through the therapeutic use of music in motor, sensory and cognitive dysfunctions caused by damage or diseases of the nervous system. (2) Objective: This study aimed to critically appraise the available literature on the application of particular NMT techniques in the rehabilitation of geriatric disorders. (3) Methods: PubMed, ScienceDirect and EBSCOhost databases were searched. We considered randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from the last 12 years using at least one of the NMT techniques from the sensorimotor, speech/language and cognitive domains in the therapy of patients over 60 years old and with psychogeriatric disorders. (4) Results: Of the 255 articles, 8 met the inclusion criteria. All papers in the final phase concerned the use of rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) (sensorimotor technique) in the rehabilitation of both Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients (six studies) and stroke patients (SPs) (two studies). (5) Conclusion: All reports suggest that the RAS technique has a significant effect on the improvement of gait parameters and the balance of PD patients and SPs, as well as the risk of falls in PD patients.