Music Therapy for Persons With Dementia
Quality of Life, Social Interaction, Emotions
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Quality of Life focused on measuring music, music therapy
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- Residents of nursing homes in Eastern Iowa
- Physician's diagnosis (e.g., primary care doctor, neurologist) of Alzheimer's disease (AD) or a related dementia (e.g., vascular)
- At least 65 years old
- English is first and primary language
- Have lived at facility for at least 3 months
Exclusion Criteria:
- Individuals who currently receive music therapy services from a board-certified music therapist
- Severe hearing loss that prohibits enjoyment of music
- Severe vision impairment that precludes seeing enlarged visual aids and font
- Those identified with "age-related cognitive decline" without a formal diagnosis of AD or a related dementia
- Individuals receiving hospice services or are bedridden
- Individuals with young onset AD
- Individuals with co-occurring Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, Down's syndrome, or severe mental illness (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive or major anxiety disorder identified prior to dementia diagnosis)
Sites / Locations
- University of Iowa
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Experimental
Placebo Comparator
Music Therapy
Non-Music Verbal Interaction
"Music therapy" consists of live singing of participant-preferred music, with guitar accompaniment, by a board-certified music therapist (i.e., MT-BC), following a protocol regarding how to manipulate the music in real time per participant responses. Order is randomly assigned, and all participants engage in both study arms.
"Non-music verbal interaction" consists of conversation of participants' interests, without music, by a board-certified music therapist, following a protocol regarding how to respond verbally in real time per participant responses. Order is randomly assigned, and all participants engage in both study arms.