First Study of its Kind Measures Impact of Music & Memory Program in NHs

Mixed results have been reported in the first national study to investigate resident outcomes in nursing homes (NHs) implementing the personalized music program called Music & Memory^SM; The study article is in press at The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

Music & Memory (M&M), a nonprofit organization that brings personalized music into the lives of the elderly and infirm in nursing facilities through digital music technology, was brainstormed by Daniel Cohen, MSW, in 2006 and has since spread to thousands of care facilities around the world. The uses individual music devices like iPods to create tailored music playlists for residents, aiming to ease behavioral and psychological problems due to dementia or other conditions (ALTC interviewed Mr Cohen in the September 2016 issue).
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Researchers from Brown University sought to study resident outcomes pre- and post-implementation of the program in 98 NHs in 2013 and compare them with NHs that did not implement the program. Participants in the study included long-stay residents with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias at M&M facilities (N = 12,905) and at the comparison facilities (N = 12,811).

Measurements used to compare facilities were “discontinuation of anxiolytic and antipsychotic medications, and reductions in behavioral problems and depressed mood in 2012 (pre-intervention) and 2013 (intervention)” using Minimum Data Set assessments (doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2017.04.008)

Findings from the study showed significant reductions in antipsychotic and antianxiety medication use in residents with dementia in NHs using the M%M program, but no significant improvements were reported for resident moods.

Specifically, antipsychotic discontinuation over a 6-month period increased from 17.6% to 20.1% in M&M facilities vs 15.9% to 15.2% in comparison facilities. The same trend was seen for anxiolytic medications: discontinuation increased 23.5% to 24.4% in M%M vs 24.8% to 20.0% in comparison facilities. M&M facilities also saw a decrease in behavioral problems: rates of reduction increased from 50.9% to 56.5% vs 55.8% to 55.9% in comparison facilities. But no changes were seen in residents with depressed mood.

Co-lead author of the study, Rosa Baier, PhD, MA, an associate professor of practice at Brown told Eurekalert, “This is promising…. This adds to the evidence base that can help improve patient care for these residents” (May 10, 2017).—Amanda Del Signore