H031 Roll the dice for music and life – group music therapy for patients with Huntington’s disease living in a nursing home

<h3>Background</h3> Making and listening to music together creates and enhances the feeling of togetherness and stimulates different parts of the brain. Also music evokes memories and makes it possible to experience and express emotions (Scherder, E. 2017). Improvising on musical instruments challenges us to think creative and act intuitive (Jaschke, A. 2023). Based on these findings Group Music Therapy (GMT) is offered on a weekly base in one of the living rooms on the ward for patients with Huntington’s Disease (HD). <h3>Aim</h3> Primary objective of the GMT intervention is to train cognitive functioning, sharing thoughts, memories, and expressing emotions related to the life before HD and learn to live with HD today. <h3>Method/Intervention</h3> The GMT session is defined by a recognizable structure i.e. an opening- and closing song, and rolling the dice in turn to enhance interaction. During the session various cognitive and musical challenges must be met in the group such as: recognizing songs by listening to short intro’s, counting specific words in a song, improvising together on instruments, playing solo, and expressing different emotions on instruments. <h3>Outcome</h3> On average eight patients participated. They expressed positive feelings and experiences during a GMT session. <h3>Conclusions</h3> GMT seems to contribute to a positive interaction, stimulating cognitive functioning and emotional wellbeing. It enhances HD patients to reflect on themselves and their life. In general it has an uplifting effect. Further research is necessary to valid the findings.