Evaluation in the Music Therapy / 日本補完代替医療学会誌

Music therapy(MT) is generally classified into recreational MT in broad sense and therapeutic MT in the narrow meaning. In the latter cases, observing and evaluating the case is necessary. The MT sessions are held rather common for the aged people. We must set a long-term goal in response to the cases; to prevent the reducing mental/physical function and to avoid dementia for the healthy people, to maintain/improve the various functions for the patients with dementia and cerebral vascular accident (CVA), to aim the advancement of QOL for the patients with severe status or in the palliative care. Various evaluating methods are seen: Bando proposed 20 items including sensation, behavior and ADL/QOL; Saji proposed 10 items including activity, persistence, cooperation, emotion, intelligence, singing/playing, handling, walking, smooth action, verbal response. Matsui summarized general MT diagnostic table and MT evaluation table for the aged, and other methods by Kitamoto (Utatsuyama), Okazaki/ Monma, and Akaboshi are seen. The number of the music therapists registered by Japanese Music Therapy Association is increasing, and 1^st Asian International Symposium of Music Therapy was held in March 2009. Thus, MT has become more important in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM).<br>