Music and Memory Program Means Fewer Meds, Better Behaviors

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Researchers from the University of California, Davis documented in the August issue of JAMDA the impact of Music and MemorySM (M&M), a non-pharmacological intervention, on nursing home residents with dementia.

The Impact of Music and Memory on Resident Level Outcomes in California Nursing Homes studied 4,107 residents in 265 nursing homes over a three-year period. Debra Bakerjian, PhD, APRN, RN, and her team found that M&M was associated with reductions in psychotropic medications, reduced behaviors, improved mood, less pain, and fewer falls. It is the largest study of M&M to date.

The odds of antipsychotic use declined by about 11%, of antianxiety medications by 17%, and antidepressants by 9% per quarter. In addition, the odds of residents exhibiting aggressive behaviors declined by 20% per quarter, depressive symptoms by 16%, reported pain by 17%, and falls by 8%.

The authors found the reduction in antipsychotics to be “particularly noteworthy, given the documented significant reduction in the use of antipsychotics statewide before the start of this study.”

The M&M program advocates the use of personalized music for older adults with dementia and other cognitive or behavioral symptoms with the goal of improving their quality of life. According to the authors, “While there are a few proven non-pharmacological interventions, activities and music therapy have been shown to decrease overall agitation in nursing home residents.” They cited a 2018 systematic review and meta-analysis that found receptive music therapy, including listening to the participant’s favorite music, was more effective at decreasing agitation and behavioral problems than interactive music therapy.

The authors found that M&M was frequently housed within in the activities department “with limited involvement from other departments.” However, they noted, “Encouraging other departments, especially nursing, to use M&M with residents could increase the frequency and duration of use and overall successful sustainment of the program.”

The project was supported by the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services Civil Money Penalty funds as well as the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. It was sponsored by the California Association of Health Facilities.

Click here for more information on the findings above and more details about the study.

Religious Music Aids the Dying

Listening to religious music helps seniors increase their life satisfaction and self-esteem, and decreases anxiety around death, according to new analysis published in the Journal of Gerontology.  Music also helped seniors appreciate a sense of control, according to researchers at Baylor University, University of Texas- San Antonio, Bowling Green State University and Duke University. The research suggests that long-term care residents may benefit from listening to religious music. Responses were collected among more than 1,000 adults, all over age 65, who were either practicing Christians, identified as Christian in their past, or who were unaffiliated with a specific faith.

"Given that religious music is available to most individuals — even those with health problems or physical limitations that might preclude participation in more formal aspects of religious life — it might be a valuable resource for promoting mental health later in the life course,” the authors concluded. Results appeared in The Journal of Gerontology.  

According to McNights Long-term Care News, a  2013 study, also published in the Journal of Gerontology, considering the use of religious songs in helping older African Americans cope with stressful life events, also found that songs evoking themes of thanksgiving, communication with God, and life after death improved the mental health of those studied.  These join a growing amount of research literature that associates various religious factors with positive mental and physical health, and even suggests that aspects of religious involvement may reduce mortality risk. 

Go here for an article discussing the broader Family and Psycho-Social Dimensions of Death and Dying in African Americans.