Home-based Family Caregiver-delivered Music and Reading Interventions for People With Dementia

Summary

This international study evaluates the impact of home-based caregiver-delivered music and reading interventions for people with dementia. The project aims to address the need for improved informal dementia care by training family caregivers to utilise a music or reading intervention with the person they are caring for. The interventions aim to decrease behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia as well as improve quality of life and well being of both people living with dementia and their caregivers. Participants will be allocated into a music intervention group, a reading intervention group or standard care group. In addition, the researchers will seek to determine the cost-effectiveness of using the music intervention.

Conditions

• Dementia
• Dementia, Vascular
• Dementia With Lewy Bodies
• Dementia, Mixed
• Dementia Alzheimers
• Behavioural and Psychiatric Symptoms of Dementia
• Depression
• Quality of Life

Interventions

OTHER

Music Intervention

After training, caregivers will deliver the music intervention to the person with dementia whom they care for. The music intervention will include: a) singing familiar/preferred music followed by discussions facilitated by the caregiver about any associated meanings or memories; b) movement to music (e.g. upper body and arms imitating familiar dance movements to music); c) instrument playing; and d) listening to familiar/preferred relaxing or enlivening music (dependent upon symptoms present in the moment). These methods are known to assist in emotion regulation and increase cognitive reserve (e.g. attention and perceptual-motor function).

OTHER

Reading Intervention

After training, caregivers will deliver the reading intervention to the person with dementia whom they care for. The reading intervention will include: a) the caregiver reading aloud to the person they are caring for; b) the person with dementia reading aloud to their caregiver; and c) discussion of the text and personal responses. Strategies to engage the person with dementia and to create opportunities for meaningful dialogue will be provided, as well as guidance on selecting reading material that is accessible to the person's level of cognitive impairment.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Melbourne

  collaborator OTHER

• Norwegian Academy of Music

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• University School of Physical Education, Krakow, Poland

  collaborator OTHER

• Alzheimer's Society

  collaborator OTHER

• Methodist Homes for the Aged

  collaborator OTHER

• Saffron Hall Trust

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust

  collaborator OTHER

• Anglia Ruskin University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Felicity Baker, Professor · University of Melbourne

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2019-11-20

Primary Completion

2022-12-23

Completion

2022-12-23

Countries

• Australia
• Germany
• Norway
• Poland
• United Kingdom

Study Locations