DRUMBEAT: Music & Alternate Therapies for People with Brain Injury

Art, Music & Health

• People engaging in arts related activities, often experience a sense of well being, including a combination of physical, social, emotional and physical outcomes (Rosenberg, 2008).

• Traditionally, art has not been measured using the same methods as conventional health interventions.

• The impact of music on arousal and mood is well established (Hussain et al, 2002).

• Exposure to music can increase performance on cognitive tasks (Hussain et al, 2002).

Review of Alternative Therapies and BI

• Music therapy best form of intervention for apathy in people with severe TBI (Lane-Brown, 2009)

• Also shown to improve executive functioning, adjustment, social interaction, mood & QOL in ABI patients.

• 4 sessions of neurological music therapy reduced anxiety & stress and increased mood.

• Singing programs increase variability, voice range and mood in patients with PD, TBI (Baker et al., 2005 Haneishi et al., 2001).

The Effects of Drumming on Health

• Drum circles have been used as a healing ritual in many cultures worldwide for years, and is now being increasingly used as a contemporary therapeutic strategy (Bittman, 2001).

• It has been used for a number of different therapeutic purposes, including as a way to treat a variety of behavioural issues, such as anger management, team building, substance abuse recovery, as well as increasing self-esteem and developing leadership skills.

• Participants in drumming circles report drumming gives them a sense of cohesion and a number of positive psychological and physical effects- “calming”, “reduces stress”, “make me feel good” and “help’s me ‘fit in’.

DRUMBEAT Evidence

• School studies: Significantly increased self-esteem (10%), 29% of students had decrease in behavioural incidents & 33% had decrease in absenteeism.

• Mental Illness: Qualitative reports of improvements in self esteem, mood, concentration and motivation.

• Migrant groups: Improved self esteem

Worse Same Better

R/ship with peers 0 0 3

R/ship with staff 0 3 0

Emotional Control

0 3 0

Teamwork 0 1 2

Self-esteem 0 0 3

Focus/Concentration

0 0 3

Mood 0 0 3

Ratings of changes by others

DRUMBEAT Quotes

• “The drumming group brought up things we don’t normally talk about and we kept talking about it in the car on the way home”

• “I loved seeing Nathan and Veronica every week. It gave me something to do and stopped me feeling lonely.”

Questionnaires

All respondents (6 staff, 6 ABI, 2 carers) reported that:

• They were very satisfied with the DRUMBEAT program

• Enjoyed the program,

• Knew more about the people they worked with,

• Felt part of a team

• Were more aware of factors that influenced relationships

• Would recommend the program to others