EFFECTIVENESS OF MUSIC THERAPY INTERVENTION WITH INDIVIDUALS HAVING SENILE DEMENTIA OF THE ALZHEIMER'S TYPE (ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE).
Contributors: University of Minnesota.
Published: 1992
Number of pages: 205
Subjects: Education, Music.; Gerontology.; Health Sciences, Nursing.; Psychology, Clinical.
Description: The purpose of this study was to empirically demonstrate the effectiveness of music therapy intervention with individuals having a tentative diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease/Senile Dementia of the Alzheimer's Type (AD/SDAT) over and above anecdotal and case study reports.

Thirty persons (16 females and 14 males) with an average age of 77.5 who resided in a major metropolitan health care facility on a special Alzheimer's unit who exhibited wandering behavior took part in the study. Proper permission and informed consent was obtained from all involved parties.

Participants were randomly assigned into one of two treatments: mostly music attention or mostly reading attention. A reading and music preference history of each participant was recorded. Baseline wandering behavior measured by pedometers, mercury counters, and cyclometers was recorded for 3 afternoons ("sundowning period") prior to treatment. Participants in both groups received 7 one-to-one sessions by the music therapist (either 5 sessions of music and 2 reading, or 5 sessions reading and 2 music). Music sessions consisted of active/passive activities (listening, singing, and playing percussion instruments). Reading sessions consisted of reading to the participant. Participant seating/proximity duration was recorded on videotape. The Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE, a brief cognitive test) was administered at pre and post-sessions.

Results indicated that wandering subjects remained seated or in close proximity to the session area longer for music sessions than for reading sessions regardless if the group had received the majority (5 of 7) or the minority (2 of 7) of music sessions. Seating proximity time significantly increased for the reading group during the music treatment. Seating/proximity time also increased significantly for all music versus all reading sessions. There was a significant session effect for seating/proximity scores during Sessions 1-5 for both groups. Generally, the music group had higher wandering means than the reading group. There was also a significant decrease in wandering attributed to session effect for sessions 1-5 for both groups. There were no significant differences in wandering between all music versus all reading sessions. No correlations other than wandering behavior sessions 1-5 to 6-7 were significant. There were no significant differences in pre/post MMSE cognitive test scores for treatments or groups.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-10, Section: A, page: 3468.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, 1992.

School code: 0130.