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- Title
Music therapy for Alzheimer's patients.
- Authors
Asselstine, J.; Kristman, V. L.
- Abstract
Introduction: Music therapy (MT) is an attractive, non-pharmacological treatment for many individuals suffering from dementia. It is well established that MT is responsible for many mood-boosting effects in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients; however it is unclear whether these benefits extend to cognitive outcomes such as enhanced communicative abilities, improved retention and longer attention span. Prior studies focussed on the efficacy of MT for treatment of AD are limited by problematic and inconsistent methodologies, non-specific measurements of outcome and a failure to control for varying levels of dementia and type of MT between study participants. While experts in the field suggest that an active MT model (which involves the participants actively creating music with the music therapist) may be superior to that of a passive MT model (which involves the participants listening to an external source of music), evidence to support this hypothesis is limited. Objective: The central purpose of this study is to assess MT treatments in a randomized fashion and compare any changes in cognitive functioning that occur between passive, active and no (control) MT groups. The methodology will be modified to make the study feasible at a master's level. Methods: This study will utilize a three armed randomized control trial (RCT) design. Three long-term care facilities will be selected and randomized to a treatment type: active MT, passive MT, or a control. Participants within each home will be selected based on AD severity determined by the Global Deterioration Scale, as defined by the Alzheimer's Society of Canada. The MT sessions will be conducted by an accredited music therapist twice a week at each location, over a period of six weeks. Three cognitive outcome measures will be collected at each session. Measurements will include the mini-state mental examination (MMSE), the new Music in Dementia Assessment Scale (MiDAS) as proposed by McDermott et al. (2015), and the Alzheimer's disease Assessment Scale (ADAS), with the latter serving as a highly sensitive measurement for cognitive change over time. Following collection, data will be analyzed to explore relationships between treatment type and cognitive outcomes. Each of the three outcomes of interest will be analyzed using multivariate linear regression, with relevant confounding factors included in each model. A 10% change in the regression coefficient will indicate important confounding effects. As research at the master's level is constricted by both funding and time, modifications to the proposed methodology are needed. For example, a graduate student rather than an accredited music therapist could conduct the MT sessions. Results: Results are expected to be collected by August 2017. Conclusion: The methodological framework utilized in this study will be of interest to other researchers involved with studying MT. Additionally, the results from this study may serve as a reference from which clinicians can make recommendations regarding MT to their patients.
- Subjects
MUSIC therapy; ALZHEIMER'S patients; DEMENTIA; MENTAL health; RANDOMIZED controlled trials
- Publication
Health Promotion & Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada, 2016, Vol 36, Issue 11, p264
- ISSN
2368-738X
- Publication type
Article