Patterned sensory enhancement, a music rehabilitation therapy for elderly patients with neuromotor deficit during SARS COV-19 pandemic: A pilot study

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Iulia Toma
 

West University of Timisoara, Romania

: Int J Ment Health Psychiatry

Abstract

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The Patterned Sensory Enhancement (PSE) technique, a music-based rehabilitation strategy for neurological pathologies, is explored in this pilot study focusing on developing a music-drill protocol for elderly individuals with neuromuscular degenerative conditions. This study identifies specific music-composition parameters, including the key signature, rhythm, major scale, tonal system, movement, repetition, absence of movement, and use of musical instruments. This research suggests that collaboration between rehabilitation teams and musicians is crucial for optimizing the PSE technique, emphasizing the significance of tailored music stimuli in therapy. This study evaluates the therapy’s effectiveness using Takei dynamometer measurements before and after interventions. It concludes that personalized music compositions, aligned with individual patient preferences, are essential for optimal results in PSE therapy. The integration of patient-specific musical taste and recorded music during patient outcare is highlighted, underlining the need for ongoing collaboration between healthcare professionals and musicians to refine the PSE technique.

Biography

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Iulia Toma has her expertise in music-medicine transdisciplinary field (music stimuli in rehabilitation and musicians’ health domain) and exemplarily manifests as a pianist, lecturer and Rehab doctor. Music is the foundation of Iulia Toma's on-going career. Iulia Toma also performed as a pianist on many important stages in Romania, Austria and Germany. Yet Iulia Toma is developing a physician career as well, which (reasonably expected) prompted the transdisciplinary music-medicine topic of her doctoral thesis (in music, professional ailments of the performing pianists) her research being widely made public in international conferences. In such capacity, she is affiliated to YP PAMA committee, as also to the Center of Music & Transdisciplinary Research in TimiÈ?oara. Currently, Iulia Toma is employed as a lecturer at the "Faculty of Music and Theatre" ("WUT", Romania), and doctor (residency in Physical medicine and rehabilitation; "Municipal Hospital", Romania)..