Music Shows promises to relieve anguish in dementia

Summary: A new study highlights how music therapy can help relieve severe anguish in patients with dementia in hospital rooms. The melodic approach incorporates a music therapist to deliver sessions and create custom musical care plans for patients.

The results showed a better quality of life and reduced anguish, without reported adverse effects. This low -cost scalable intervention offers a compassionate alternative to psychotropic medication.

Key facts:

Improved well -being: music therapy slightly improved the quality of life and reduced anguish in patients with dementia. Low cost solution: The intervention costs just over £ 2,000 per month, which makes it affordable and scalable.

Source: University of Anglia Ruskin

A new treatment that uses music therapy in dementia rooms could improve care and support for some of the most vulnerable NHS patients.

Researchers at the Anglia Ruskin University (AU) and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust have tested a music therapy approach called melodic, in two NHS dementia rooms.

More alternatives are needed to psychotropic medication to support patients with ement that experience severe anguish.

The pilot study involved a music therapist integrated in the hospital rooms, the delivery of clinical music sessions and the implementation of musical care plans for each patient, and the results of the research have now been published in the magazine Frontiers in Psychiatry.

Musicotherapy, delivered by trained therapists, may include singing, playing or listening to music. The therapist can also identify specific ways in which music can be used by families and caregivers in the daily care of an individual.

During the study, patient data suggested a slight improvement in the quality of life between patients and a reduction in the severity of anguish symptoms and disruption, although agitation scores increased slightly.

There were no routinely informed incidents, and adverse events related to music therapy interventions were not reported. This is relevant for future research on mental health dementia rooms where limited studies have been carried out to date.

The main author Naomi Thompson, researcher at the Cambridge Music therapy Research Institute at the University of Anglia Ruskin (AU), said: “People with dementia on mental health rooms for hospitalized patients often experience very high levels of anguish, and the staff is under immense pressure to handle this safely and compassion.

“Our study produced promising results and, what was more important, showed that the melodic tool can be used effectively in these highly complex environments, giving an alternative option to the current ways of handling severe anguish, such as psychotropic medication.”

The approach was formed by interviews with 49 health professionals, patients and their families about their experiences that handle anguish in dementia rooms and the use of music in daily care and life to help develop the intervention, with findings published in the Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

It is important to note that the intervention, which has been joint by doctors, researchers and people with lived experience, costs only £ 2,025 per month for the therapist and the initial disbursement of £ 400 for equipment, which suggests a low -cost scalable model.

Dr. Ben Underwood, director of Research and Development and Psychiatrist Honorary Consultant at CPFT, said: “Some people with dementia can be confused and distressed that we must admit them in the hospital to keep them safe. It may be difficult to handle anguish in a neighborhood environment and difficult for patients, families and staff.

“I am very excited that it is now possible for NHS personnel to improve their experience in dementia rooms using the power of music, and we hope to work with AU to develop this more thoroughly.”

The current study was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and is published in the magazine Frontiers in Psychiatry.

On this news and dementia research news

Author: Jamie Forsyth
Source: University of Anglia Ruskin
Contact: Jamie Forsyth – Anglia Ruskin University
Image: The image is accredited to Neuroscience News

Original research: open access.
“Music therapy integrated in the life of hospital care of dementia (melodic) to help prevent and manage anguish: a feasibility study to inform a future essay” by Naomi Thompson et al. Borders in psychiatry

Abstract

Musicotherapy integrated in the life of hospital care of dementia (melodic) to help prevent and manage anguish: a feasibility study to inform a future essay

Introduction: The neighborhoods of mental health dementia in the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom provide specialized attention to people with dementia who experience acute levels of anguish. There is little research on these environments, but music therapy can reduce short -term anguish.

This complex and co-designated intervention development study aimed to prove the viability of administering a standardized music therapy protocol (melodic: music therapy integrated in the life of hospital care of dementia) in these rooms and the suitability of research methods.

Methods: The melodic intervention aims to support the personalized use of music to prevent and handle anguish through: 1) embedded a music therapist in the multidisciplinary team, 2) Deliver clinical music sessions, 3) Develop musical care plans for each patient, 4) and train and support staff and families to implement care plans. Two NHS mental health dementia rooms with a different experience of music therapy were recruited on purpose.

All patients, families and personnel were eligible to participate subjects to written consent. The intervention was delivered for four weeks. The interventionist maintained a newspaper registering all interactions with patients, personnel and families to measure adherence to treatment.

The questionnaires that reported the results of the patient, the family and the staff were collected twice before and twice after the delivery of the intervention. Data were collected routinely and interviews were conducted after the intervention.

Results: The melodic intervention was acceptable with high levels of adherence to treatment. The research methods were feasible with the recruitment objectives met (including 28 patients, 13 family members, 48 staff members) and all the requested data collected with high levels of data integrity.

Quantitative data showed no increase in symptoms of anguish or security incidents reported during the intervention period. Interventionist newspapers and qualitative data supported intervention refinement.

Conclusion: In a highly complex environment that serves some of the most vulnerable patients in the NHS, it was possible to codiseñar and deliver a new music therapy intervention. The research methods were feasible and acceptable. This protocolized intervention should be tested to determine clinical effectiveness in a controlled trial.

Registration: ISRCTN86317609