Beth Abraham Health Services

Therapeutic Drumming and Rhythmic Activities for Nursing Home Residents with Dementia: A Dissemination Project

The purpose of Therapeutic Rhythm Based Activities is to benefit people with Dementia. Beth Abraham Health Services used the grant to initiate and sustain an educational program for care staff and skilled nurses, instructing them on basic therapeutic drumming and rhythmic techniques, and enabling them to incorporate these techniques in the day to day care of patients with dementia.

This program ran for two years, and provided a full day of training workshops and interactive, on-site instruction to staff of four other local skilled nursing facilities including:

• The Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Brooklyn
• Schnurmacher Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing in White Plains
• The Sephardic Home in Brooklyn
• The Masonic Dumont Home in New Rochelle

Beth Abraham developed a multimedia-training curriculum to instruct additional facilities on basic therapeutic drumming techniques.

Goal: Improve health and quality of life outcomes by creating a sense of community among residents, and providing opportunities for social interaction, communication, and emotional expression.