Work Type
Article
Publication Date
2024
Department
Music Therapy
Keywords
music therapy; loneliness; Covid-19, music listening
Abstract
Introduction
This study investigated a remotely delivered, therapist-facilitated, personalized music listening intervention for community-dwelling older adults experiencing loneliness during the Covid-19 pandemic. We assessed its feasibility and individuals' experiences of social connection and emotional well-being during the intervention.Methods
Ten cognitively unimpaired older adults who endorsed loneliness completed eight weekly sessions with a board-certified music therapist via Zoom. Participants were guided in developing two online personalized music playlists and were asked to listen to playlists for at least one hour daily. Feasibility metrics were attendance, accessibility, and compliance rates. Post-study interview responses were analyzed using a rapid qualitative methodology. Exploratory pre- and post-study measures of loneliness and other aspects of psychological well-being were obtained using validated questionnaires.Results
Ten participants (mean age 75.38 [65 to 85] years, 80% women) were enrolled from March to August 2021. Attendance and compliance rates were 100% and the accessibility rate was 90%. Most participants associated music with positive memories before the program and many reported that the intervention prompted them to reconnect with music or listen to music with greater intention. They cited increased connection from interacting with the music therapist and the music itself, as well as specific positive emotional impacts from integrating music into their daily lives. Median pre- to post-questionnaire measures of psychological function all changed in an improved direction.Discussion
Remotely delivered music therapy may be a promising intervention to promote regular music listening and socioemotional well-being in lonely older adults.Recommended Citation
Haddad, Nichola R. M.D.; Bhardwaj, Twisha B.A.; Zide, Benjamin S. M.St.; Kher, Hema M.D.; Lipschitz, Jessica M. Ph.D.; Hernandez, Maria A. M.D.; Hanser, Suzanne B. Ed.D.; and Donovan, Nancy M.D., "A Remotely Delivered, Personalized Music Therapy Pilot Intervention for Lonely Older Adults During the Covid-19 Pandemic" (2024). Faculty Works.
https://remix.berklee.edu/faculty-works/61
Comments
This article was published in The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry: Open Science, Education, and Practice by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry under a CC-BY license.