Many articles which have attempted to justify the use of music or other creative arts therapies with the elderly have done so by stressing the therapeutic benefits inherent within the art form itself. In order for these therapies to survive as a viable treatment medium in the nursing home, the effects of these therapies must be subjected to scientific research methods. The very nature of art forms as therapy makes this task difficult but not insurmountable. It is important to identify which aspects of the activities program can be classified as diversional and which can be classified as therapeutic. Activities professionals need to communicate their observations with other health care disciplines in a systematic, verifiable manner.