How Art and Music Therapy Transform Memory Care

In New York, more than 426,500 residents age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias—ranking New York second nationally in Alzheimer’s prevalence at 12.7%.^[¹^] While research increasingly demonstrates that music and art therapy significantly improve cognitive function, reduce behavioral symptoms and enhance quality of life for dementia patients, Medicare and most insurance plans exclude these therapies from standard coverage.

What Research Shows: The Power of Music and Art

Recent scientific studies have established the remarkable effectiveness of music and art therapy for individuals with dementia. These are not recreational activities—they are evidence-based interventions that address the disease’s core symptoms. Music profoundly impacts our emotions and connects us to memories, relationships and our sense of self. For individuals with dementia, music therapy provides a powerful tool to reconnect with lost memories and maintain cognitive function even as language abilities decline.

• A comprehensive 2023 systematic review published in Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy found that music therapy significantly improved cognitive function in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, with particular benefits to memory, language and orientation.^[2] The research emphasized music therapy’s non-invasive nature, lack of side effects and cost-effectiveness compared to pharmacological interventions.

• A 2024 study in Nature Mental Health demonstrated that music therapy reduces distress and improves well-being for people with advanced dementia when properly integrated into care environments.^[3] Multiple analyses conducted between 2023 and 2024 confirm that music-based therapies improve not only cognitive function but also quality of life and symptoms in patients with dementia.^[4]

Art therapy offers similar transformative benefits. Drawing or painting with accessible materials gives patients with dementia the freedom to create and express themselves without words. They can communicate an entire world through shapes and colors alone. Visual art helps patients with dementia engage and communicate with others as their condition progresses. Completing an art project provides a sense of accomplishment and serves as a tangible reminder of feelings, emotions or memories that might otherwise be lost.

The evidence is clear: music and art therapy work.

The Growing Need

As New York’s population ages, the need for comprehensive dementia care will only intensify. The number of New Yorkers living with Alzheimer’s disease is projected to increase to 460,000 by 2025.^[5] This increase intensifies the economic and caregiving strain on individuals, families, health care providers and communities across New York.

Here at MJHS Foundation, we focus on filling this critical gap by raising funds to provide our patients with access to these creative arts therapies that insurance does not cover.

References

1. New York State Office for the Aging, “New York Second Among States for Alzheimer’s Prevalence, Costing $18.9 Billion in 2024, According to New Report,” accessed January 15, 2026, https://aging.ny.gov/news/new-york-second-among-states-alzheimers-prevalence-costing-189-billion-2024-according-new.
2. Bleibel, M., A. El Cheikh, N.S. Sadier, et al., “The Effect of Music Therapy on Cognitive Functions in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials,” Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy 15, no. 65 (2023),
3. Thompson, N., H. Odell-Miller, B.R. Underwood, et al., “How and Why Music Therapy Reduces Distress and Improves Well-Being in Advanced Dementia Care: A Realist Review,” Nature Mental Health 2 (2024): 1532–1542,
4. Lin et al., Effects of music-based therapies on cognition, quality of life, and neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia, PubMed.
5. New York State Department of Health. (2024, November 14). Alzheimer’s disease awareness month: New data highlight growing impact in New York State.