THE EFFECTS OF MUSIC AND MEMORYSM ON RESIDENTS WITH DEMENTIA: PHASE I RESIDENT LEVEL FINDINGS

摘要

Music and MemorySM (M&M) is a program that provides personalized music to older adults with dementia and other cognitive or behavioral symptoms. One aim of this study was to examine whether the program reduced antipsychotic use and/or improved behaviors in nursing home (NH) residents with these conditions. Alzheimer’s disease affects 1 in 9 Americans over age 65 years and 32% of those 85 years and older. Currently, 5.4 million Americans have dementia; 70% reside in NHs and many are reported to have behavioral and psychiatric symptoms. In 2016, the cost of dementia care was $236 billion on top of the 18.1 billion hours of unpaid time for personal or family care. This was a quasi-experimental study; all NHs received M&M equipment (computers and iPods) and national certification in the M&M program. NHs were expected to enroll 15 residents with dementia or behavioral conditions. We collected data via electronic survey at baseline and quarterly. Fifty NHs enrolled and provided baseline data on 506 residents with a mean 73% response rate to surveys. Of the 110 residents with dementia and complete data, there was a statistically significant reduction in use of antipsychotics (p=.025), antidepressants (p=.002), and anti-anxiety (p=.016) medications. Of residents with hallucinations/delusions, 27.5% had fewer episodes over time. Mean physical and verbal aggression scores improved slightly. Early findings suggest that residents using M&M had overall improvements even as cognition declines. Medication rates were reduced and behaviors improved, suggesting that M&M may prove a beneficial intervention for NH residents with dementia.