Music therapy practices in gerontology

A national survey was conducted using a representative sample of music therapists who work with older adults. The goals of the survey were: (a) to provide a profile of music therapists working with geriatric clients with respect to professional credentialing, regional membership, age, gender, educational background, salary, and reimbursement practices; (b) to provide a description of assessment practices used by music therapists with geriatric clients; (c) to provide clarification relative to how music therapy practices with elderly clients fit into various settings in which the therapist may be employed; and (d) to identify the types of goals and objectives that are most frequently specified for this population. An 87% response rate yielded 176 usable questionnaires (72% of original sample). Frequency analyses of dichotic and multiple choice responses were conducted and reported as percentages of respondents. Free response items, which were provided as opportunities for clarification and explanation, were presented as a simple frequency count. Comparative analyses between salaried and contractual respondents, and respondents in the eight NAMT regions were not conducted due to unequal sample sizes.