critical appraisal of a randomised control trial using the CASP tool
Nordic Journal of Music Therapy
ISSN: (Print) (Online) Journal homepage: www.tandfonline.com/journals/rnjm20
Feasibility and effects of individualized recorded
music for people with dementia: A pilot RCT study
Lisette Weise, Nils F. Töpfer, Juliane Deux & Gabriele Wilz
To cite this article: Lisette Weise, Nils F. Töpfer, Juliane Deux & Gabriele Wilz (2020) Feasibility
and effects of individualized recorded music for people with dementia: A pilot RCT study,
Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 29:1, 39-56, DOI: 10.1080/08098131.2019.1661507
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/08098131.2019.1661507
Published online: 15 Sep 2019.
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NORDIC JOURNAL OF MUSIC THERAPY
2020, VOL. 29, NO. 1, 39–56
https://doi.org/10.1080/08098131.2019.1661507
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Feasibility and e?ects of individualized recorded music for people with dementia: A pilot RCT study Lisette Weise , Nils F. Töpfer, Juliane Deux and Gabriele Wilz Department of Counseling and Clinical Intervention, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Jena,
Germany
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Music interventions are thought to improve the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). However, results regarding the e?ectiveness of such interventions have been mixed and there is a lack of results regarding the feasibility of such interventions. In a pilot randomized controlled trial, we evaluate the feasibility and e?ects of an individualized recorded music intervention for people with dementia living in a nursing home.
Methods: Twenty nursing home residents with dementia were randomly assigned to either an intervention or wait list control group. The intervention group listened to personally-relevant music playlists for 30 minutes every other day for four weeks.
Nursing sta? assessed participants’ BPSD pre- and post-intervention. The implementation, acceptance, and applicability of the intervention were also evaluated.
Results: The intervention could be successfully implemented in the institutionalized care setting and stimulated signi?cant improvements in sleep quality along with trends towards improvements in social participation and agitation. Nursing sta?were highly satis?ed with the intervention.
Discussion: The results suggest that carefully implemented individualized recorded music interventions are well accepted by nursing sta? and can improve BPSD for people in nursing homes. Individualized music interventions represent an innovative and inexpensive alternative to pharmacological interventions.
ARTICLE HISTORY Received 22 December 2018; Accepted 25 July 2019
KEYWORDS Alzheimer’s disease; non-pharmacological intervention; receptive music therapy; long-term care; nursing
Introduction
People with dementia are confronted with the incredibly di?cult experience of progressively losing the cognitive abilities and competences needed to manage daily life and social relationships (Chen, Sultzer, Hinkin, Mahler, & Cummings, 1998). As a result, people with dementia may experience a range of negative behavioral and psychological symptoms such as agitation, anxiety, and depression (Lyketsos et al., 2002; Mortby, Maercker, & Forstmeier, 2012) which can lower not only their own quality of life but also that of their caregivers (Hurt et al., 2008; Ornstein & Gaugler, 2012; Shin, Carter, Masterman, Fairbanks, & Cummings, 2005). A critical goal of dementia research is therefore to identify e?ective methods for improving the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). Relative to pharmacological interventions, non-pharmacological interventions that help create more satisfying living environments for people with dementia are especially desirable (Douglas, James, & Ballard, 2004; Takeda, Tanaka, Okochi, & Kazui, 2012), since they avoid the negative side e?ects associated with many drug-based therapies (Deardor?, Feen, & Grossberg, 2015; Kamiya, Kamiya, & Niwa, 2015; Mittal, Kurup, Williamson, Muralee, & Tampi, 2011).
Over the last two decades, there has been growing interest in using music interventions – particularly individualized music interventions based on an individual’s own preferences and experiences – to improve BPSD. Music interventions engage people with dementia in active or passive activities such as listening or moving to music, singing, or playing an instrument (Kales, Gitlin, & Lyketsos, 2015; National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (UK), 2007; Raglio et al., 2015). However, evidence with regard to the e?cacy of music interventions has been mixed, and more methodologically rigorous studies are needed to shed light on their e?ectiveness. In the current pilot feasibility study, we therefore used a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to investigate the extent to which an individualized recorded music listening intervention improved BPSD for people living in a nursing home. We addressed some of the methodological limitations of previous studies by following a careful implementation procedure and evaluating how well the intervention could be implemented in the institutionalized care setting. Why should people with dementia bene?t from individualized music interventions?