A tempo-based music search engine with multimodal query

Master'sMASTER OF SCIENC

Physical Therapy and Music Therapy Collaboration for the Treatment of Chronic Stroke: A Case Study

Background and purpose: Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the United States. Following a stroke, individuals may suffer from a number of severe and lasting adverse effects. Although there is current research to support the use of physical therapy (PT) and music therapy (MT) individually during stroke rehabilitation, few studies have examined collaboration of these two disciplines. The purpose of this case study was to evaluate the effectiveness of combined PT and MT interventions for strength, balance, gait, and functional activity in an adult with chronic stroke. Case description: The client is a 51-year-old Caucasian female with chronic functional impairments following a right cerebrovascular accident (CVA) secondary to a quadruple coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) occurring three years ago. Intervention. Therapy sessions combined PT and MT techniques provided by two PT students and two MT students. Assessments and interventions were completed in 13 sessions over a 13-week time period. Interventions included strengthening, balance training, pre-gait activities, gait training, and upper extremity (UE) interventions. All interventions were paired with music therapy techniques. Outcomes: The client had a clinically significant improvement on the Berg Balance Scale improving by 5 points (MCD = 5 points). Discussion: PT combined with MT led to improvements in balance, functional mobility, and a decreased risk of falls for this individual with chronic stroke. Further research is needed examining combined PT and MT interventions for chronic stroke

Parkinson's Disease Management through ICT

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that manifests with motor and non-motor symptoms. PD treatment is symptomatic and tries to alleviate the associated symptoms through an adjustment of the medication. As the disease is evolving and this evolution is patient specific, it could be very difficult to properly manage the disease.The current available technology (electronics, communication, computing, etc.), correctly combined with wearables, can be of great use for obtaining and processing useful information for both clinicians and patients allowing them to become actively involved in their condition.Parkinson's Disease Management through ICT: The REMPARK Approach presents the work done, main results and conclusions of the REMPARK project (2011 – 2015) funded by the European Union under contract FP7-ICT-2011-7-287677. REMPARK system was proposed and developed as a real Personal Health Device for the Remote and Autonomous Management of Parkinson’s Disease, composed of different levels of interaction with the patient, clinician and carers, and integrating a set of interconnected sub-systems: sensor, auditory cueing, Smartphone and server. The sensor subsystem, using embedded algorithmics, is able to detect the motor symptoms associated with PD in real time. This information, sent through the Smartphone to the REMPARK server, is used for an efficient management of the disease

Music Therapy - A Dynamtc Treatment

Music therapy is a type of complementary therapy. Alternative and complementary medicine is the name generally given to those medical and health care systems, practices and products that are not presently considered to be the part of conventional Western medicine. The more ancient forms of complementary and alternative medicine are also known as traditional medicine. Well known examples include herbal and other nutritional supplements, acupuncture, aromatherapy, music therapy and homeopathy. "Alternative medicine" refers to the use of CAM in place of conventional medicine. "Integrative medicine" (also called integrated medicine) refers to a practice that combines both conventional and CAM treatments for which there is an evidence of safety and effectiveness. Keywords: - Music therapy, complementary medicine, traditional medicine, CAM treatments

Comparing the Effectiveness of Activity-Based Interventions and Rote Exercises in Skilled Nursing Facilities

Joette Jindra, OTR/L and director of rehabilitation at ManorCare in Tacoma, WA was interested in learning what type of interventions should be utilized by the therapists on her team. Therefore, the purpose of this critically appraised topic (CAT) was to examine the current literature on the effectiveness of activity-based intervention (meaningful or nonmeaningful) and rote exercise for improving physical performance outcomes in patients residing in skilled nursing facilities (SNF). The student researchers examined the literature on articles comparing the outcomes of activity-based interventions to those of rote exercise. Articles describing the outcomes of the two interventions independently were also examined. A total of 36 peer-reviewed articles were reviewed. Both activity-based interventions and rote exercise were shown to be effective in improving physical performance outcomes of clients in inpatient facilities. However, when directly comparing the two types of intervention, activity-based interventions were consistently found to be more beneficial than rote exercise for clients receiving therapy services in residential and inpatient facilities. These findings can help therapists make informed decisions to use activity-based interventions during their treatment session to increase client outcomes. With these findings, the student researchers provided an in-service presentation and pre- and post-survey to the occupational therapy team at ManorCare. The results of the pre- and post-surveys were used to measure the knowledge translation. It is recommended that Jindra and her team continue to advocate and utilize activity-based interventions at ManorCare

Parkinson's Disease Management through ICT

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that manifests with motor and non-motor symptoms. PD treatment is symptomatic and tries to alleviate the associated symptoms through an adjustment of the medication. As the disease is evolving and this evolution is patient specific, it could be very difficult to properly manage the disease.The current available technology (electronics, communication, computing, etc.), correctly combined with wearables, can be of great use for obtaining and processing useful information for both clinicians and patients allowing them to become actively involved in their condition.Parkinson's Disease Management through ICT: The REMPARK Approach presents the work done, main results and conclusions of the REMPARK project (2011 – 2015) funded by the European Union under contract FP7-ICT-2011-7-287677. REMPARK system was proposed and developed as a real Personal Health Device for the Remote and Autonomous Management of Parkinson’s Disease, composed of different levels of interaction with the patient, clinician and carers, and integrating a set of interconnected sub-systems: sensor, auditory cueing, Smartphone and server. The sensor subsystem, using embedded algorithmics, is able to detect the motor symptoms associated with PD in real time. This information, sent through the Smartphone to the REMPARK server, is used for an efficient management of the disease