Strategies for Recruiting People With Dementia to Music Therapy Studies: Systematic Review

Remini-Sing RCT: Therapeutic Choir Participation for Community-Dwelling People with Dementia and Their Primary Caregivers

Dementia negatively affects the wellbeing of both caregivers and care recipients. Community-based therapeutic choir singing offers opportunities for music participation and social engagement that are accessible and mutually enjoyable for people with dementia and their family caregivers and promotes shared and meaningful musical interactions, which may support relationship quality. This study aimed to investigate the impact of the Remini-Sing therapeutic choir intervention on relationship quality, quality of life, depression, and social connectedness for dyads, as well as caregiver burden and care recipient anxiety. A randomized-controlled trial design was used with a target sample of 180 dyads. Due to recruitment difficulties, 34 participant dyads were recruited and randomly assigned to a 20-week group singing condition (n = 16) or a waitlisted control group (n = 18). Participant dyads consisted of people with dementia and their family caregivers who resided at home in the community. The Remini-Sing therapeutic choirs were held in community settings. Assessments were conducted by masked assessors at baseline, 11 weeks, and 21 weeks. Twenty-one dyads completed assessments at the primary timepoint (Week 11). Issues with recruitment and retention resulted in an unpowered study with no statistically significant findings. Mean decreases in anxiety and depression for choir participants with dementia were supported by medium to large effect sizes, indicating a potential intervention effect to be explored in future powered studies. Key learnings related to study design are discussed regarding recruitment, retention, participant burden, and sustainability, with recommendations made for future dementia research.

Effectiveness of music therapy in enhancing empathy and emotional recognition in adolescents with intellectual disabilities

Music therapy has demonstrated efficacy in alleviating symptoms of mental disorders, prompting an investigation into its impact on emotion regulation and empathy levels in adolescents with mild intellectual disabilities. This study involved 120 adolescents diagnosed with mild intellectual disabilities, divided into experimental and control groups. The research evaluated empathy levels and the ability to recognize emotions using photographs and pictograms before and after the experiment. Significant improvements were noted in the experimental group, particularly in empathy towards elderly individuals (p ≤ 0.05), strangers (p ≤ 0.05), cartoon and video characters (p ≤ 0.05), and animals (p ≤ 0.05). Music therapy proved effective in enhancing empathy towards peers (p ≤ 0.01), strangers (p ≤ 0.05), elderly individuals (p ≤ 0.05), animals (p ≤ 0.05), and cartoon characters (p ≤ 0.05). Limited changes were observed in the control group, primarily in the category of empathy towards strangers (p ≤ 0.05). The study suggests music therapy as a recommendable intervention for adolescents with mild intellectual disabilities, enhancing their ability to recognize diverse emotions. The study significantly contributes to the theoretical understanding of music therapy's role in emotional development among adolescents with mild intellectual disabilities, highlighting the nuanced influence of music selection on therapeutic outcomes. The study acknowledges and briefly discusses the ethical considerations involved in conducting research with adolescents, emphasizing the importance of ethical guidelines in working with vulnerable populations.

Effects of a music therapy and music listening intervention for nursing home residents with dementia: a randomized controlled trial

Introduction

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of an individual music therapy intervention and an individual music listening intervention on neuropsychiatric symptoms and quality of life in people with dementia living in a nursing home and on professional caregiver's burden to be able to make statements about their specific value of application in clinical practice.

Methods

A multicenter single blind randomized controlled trial with three groups was performed: an individual music therapy intervention (IMTI) group (n = 49), an individual music listening intervention (IMLI) group (n = 56) and a control group (n = 53) receiving usual care. The interventions were given during three weeks, three times a week on non-consecutive days during 30-45 minutes for in total nine sessions. The endpoint of the study is the difference from baseline to interim (1,5 week), post-intervention (3 weeks) and follow-up (6 weeks) in reported scores of problem behaviour (NPI-NH) and quality of life (Qualidem) in people with dementia and occupational disruptiveness (NPI-NH) in care professionals.

Results

In total 158 people with dementia were randomized to one of the two intervention groups or the control group. Multilevel analyses demonstrated that hyperactive behaviour assessed by the NPI-NH was significantly more reduced for the IMLI group at follow up and that restless behaviour assessed by the Qualidem was significantly more reduced for the IMTI group at post and follow-up measurement compared to the control group. No significant effects between groups were found in other NPI-NH clusters or Qualidem subscales.

Conclusion

In conclusion, because we found no convincing evidence that the IMTI or IMLI is more effective than the other both interventions should be considered in clinical practice. For the future, we advise further research into the sustainability of the effects with alternative designs, like a single case experimental design.

Exploration of combined physical activity and music for patients with Alzheimer’s disease: A systematic review

Objective

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) can be treated in different ways, one of which is combined physical activity and music intervention, which is a non-pharmacological one. This study provided a thorough systematic review on the application of combined physical activity and music intervention in patients with AD.

Method

Online sources, such as PubMed, Web of Science, SAGE Premier, EBSCO, and Cochrane, published from January 2002 to March 2022 were searched for articles. Reviewer screened articles on inclusion criteria and identified relevant studies. 200 studies were selected as potentially relevant; of these, eight met all the inclusion criteria.

Results

The systemic review looked at eight studies, two of which had high methodological quality and six were of moderate quality. Various types of research were included: randomized controlled tails, single-subject study, crossover study, and case report. Music intervention was conducted during an exercise program in six studies. A cognitive stimulation was applied with music therapy and physical activities among two studies. The physical activities or movements included balance training, stretching, strengthening, and different sports activities. Outcome assessment, including the Barthel index in two studies and the functional independence measure, was conducted to evaluate the daily functional score. Mental health was evaluated by Mini-Mental State Examination in three studies.

Conclusion

Combined physical activity and music intervention are beneficial and improve the cognition, function and well-being of patients with AD. Supporting combined physical and music intervention will play a key role in helping clinical guidelines for both physical therapists and music therapists.