Personalised Music for Residents With Dementia in an Australian Rural Aged-care Setting

Journal

Australian Journal of Rural Health

Year

2021

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Personalised music reportedly has a positive effect on behaviour and mood in people living with dementia. This intervention has not been conducted in low-resourced or rural aged-care settings. We evaluated the effect of a non-therapist-led personalised music listening intervention on residents with dementia and workplace culture in a rural aged-care facility in South Australia. DESIGN: Qualitative pilot study. SETTING: Rural aged-care home in South Australia. PARTICIPANTS: Ten residents with dementia and 15 aged-care staff participated in this study. INTERVENTIONS: Ten residents participated in an 8-week music program. Four focus groups were conducted with aged-care staff post-intervention. A thematic analysis was used to identify emerging themes. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Personalised music positively influenced resident's behaviour and well-being, social interaction and the workplace environment and culture, and served as a useful tool for personalised care. RESULTS: Three themes emerged: quality of life, personalised care and better aged-care environment. Personalised music positively influenced resident's behaviour and well-being, social interaction and the workplace environment and culture, and served as a useful tool for personalised care. CONCLUSION: Personalised music program is an effective, low-cost intervention to improve quality of life and personalised care of residents living with dementia, staff well-being, and a workplace and culture in low-resourced or rural aged-care settings.

Music and Health Institute Terms

Alzheimer's and Related Dementias; Elderly; Interpersonal Relations; Long-Term Care Facility; Music Listening; Neurodegenerative Disorders; Quality of Life; Wellness and Well-Being

Indexed Terms

Elderly; Australia; Dementia; Focus Groups; Homes for the Aged; Nursing Homes; Pilot Projects; Precision Medicine; Qualitative Research; Quality of Life; behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia; dementia; personalised music; rural

Study Type

Case Study; Qualitative Methods

PubMed ID

33591614

Document Type

Article

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