Music Interventions for Stroke Care: Understanding the Science and Impact for Communication, Cognition, Motor Function and Emotional Wellbeing 1193

Each stroke survivor faces unique challenges across physical, cognitive, emotional, and social domains with potential lifelong implications. Traditional rehabilitation protocols often struggle to address these complex, often interrelated needs comprehensively. Person-centered interventions that incorporate creative media—particularly music—offer promising and innovative approaches that are tailored to individual’s strengths, challenges, and goals. Music provides a versatile medium for addressing complex needs and multiple domains of function through both receptive and active engagement—including movement, singing, and listening. This symposium will present an overview of the latest evidence for music interventions in post-stroke rehabilitation, focusing on emotional wellbeing, communication, and motor recovery. Drawing primarily from systematic reviews, the quality and strength of evidence will be evaluated. Additionally, feasibility data testing for a transdisciplinary, theory-based and highly structured improvised singing protocol, the Music Enriched Verbal Network Strengthening Treatment will be presented, which was specifically designed for people with chronic aphasia.