The effect of presentation and accompaniment styles on attentional and responsive behaviors of participants with dementia diagnoses
Abstract
Eight persons (7 females & 1 male) with moderately-severe to severe dementia diagnoses residing at an urban healthcare facility, participated in this study. Informed consent procedures were followed and agreed upon by participants and their families. The participants ranged in age from 73-90 years, with an average age of 81 years. An experienced board-certified music therapist led 16 singalong sessions. The sessions were divided into 4 sessions of each of the following 4 conditions in randomized order of presentation: (a) live music of simple guitar accompaniment, (b) live music of complex guitar accompaniment, (c) recorded music of simple guitar accompaniment, and (d) recorded music of complex guitar accompaniment. Results indicated no significant differences in the amount of singing by the group for the 4 conditions. However, there were significant differences in group behavior related to the 4 conditions before and after song presentations, including attention, leaving the group, reading lyrics, compliments, and applause. Implications for music therapy training and programming are discussed.