Melbourne Conservatorium of Music - Research Publications
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ItemNo Preview AvailableHome-based family caregiver-delivered music and reading interventions for people living with dementia (HOMESIDE trial): an international randomised controlled trial(ELSEVIER, 2023-11)BACKGROUND: Music interventions provided by qualified therapists within residential aged care are effective at attenuating behavioural and psychological symptoms (BPSD) of people with dementia (PwD). The impact of music interventions on dementia symptom management when provided by family caregivers is unclear. METHODS: We implemented a community-based, large, pragmatic, international, superiority, single-masked randomised controlled trial to evaluate if caregiver-delivered music was superior to usual care alone (UC) on reducing BPSD of PwD measured by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Questionnaire (NPI-Q). The study included an active control (reading). People with dementia (NPI-Q score ≥6) and their caregiver (dyads) from one of five countries were randomly allocated to caregiver-delivered music, reading, or UC with a 1:1:1 allocation stratified by site. Caregivers received three online protocolised music or reading training sessions delivered by therapists and were recommended to provide five 30-min reading or music activities per week (minimum twice weekly) over 90-days. The NPI-Q severity assessment of PwD was completed online by masked assessors at baseline, 90- (primary) and 180-days post-randomisation and analysed on an intention-to-treat basis using a likelihood-based longitudinal data analysis model. ACTRN12618001799246; ClinicalTrials.govNCT03907748. FINDINGS: Between 27th November 2019 and 7th July 2022, we randomised 432 eligible of 805 screened dyads (music n = 143, reading n = 144, UC n = 145). There was no statistical or clinically important difference in the change from baseline BPSD between caregiver-delivered music (-0.15, 95% CI -1.41 to 1.10, p = 0.81) or reading (-1.12, 95% CI -2.38 to 0.14, p = 0.082) and UC alone at 90-days. No related adverse events occurred. INTERPRETATION: Our findings suggested that music interventions and reading interventions delivered by trained caregivers in community contexts do not decrease enduring BPSD symptoms. FUNDING: Our funding was provided by National Health and Medical Research Council, Australia; The Research Council of Norway; Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Germany; National Centre for Research and Development, Poland; Alzheimer's Society, UK, as part of the Joint Programme for Neurodegenerative Diseases consortia scheme.
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ItemContent development and validation for a mobile application designed to train family caregivers in the use of music to support care of people living with dementia(FRONTIERS MEDIA SA, 2023-05-12)BACKGROUND: Music therapy is increasingly recognized as an effective support for people living with dementia. However, with incidences of dementia increasing, and limited availability of music therapists, there is a need for affordable and accessible ways that caregivers can learn to use music-therapy based strategies to support the people they care for. The MATCH project aims to address this by creating a mobile application that can train family caregivers in the use of music to support people living with dementia. METHODS: This study details the development and validation of training material for the MATCH mobile application. Training modules developed based on existing research were assessed by 10 experienced music therapist clinician-researchers, and seven family caregivers who had previously completed personalized training in music therapy strategies via the HOMESIDE project. Participants reviewed the content and scored each training module based on content (music therapists) and face (caregivers) validity scales. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate scores on the scales, while thematic analysis was used to analyze short-answer feedback. RESULTS: Participants scored the content as valid and relevant, however, they provided additional suggestions for improvement via short-answer feedback. CONCLUSION: The content developed for the MATCH application is valid and will be trailed by family caregivers and people living with dementia in a future study.
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ItemRecruitment approaches and profiles of consenting family caregivers and people living with dementia: A recruitment study within a trial(ELSEVIER INC, 2023-04)BACKGROUND: While studies have identified strategies that are useful for recruiting people living with dementia, none have focused on psychosocial interventions involving arts therapies, or have examined the profiles of older people living in the community who consent or decline participation, particularly during a global pandemic. We aimed to identify the most effective recruitment strategies according to participant characteristics and transnational differences and develop a profile of consenting and non-consenting participants. METHODS: Recruitment teams in Australia, Norway, Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom, recorded participants' source of study awareness and characteristics of consenting and non-consenting participants. Distributions of participants 'consenting to participate' were compared and logistic regressions were used to estimate the odds ratios. RESULTS: Consenting female caregivers were disproportionally represented. Study awareness differed between countries but overall, most expressions of interest to participate were derived from referrals from professionals or organisations, or from databases of people wanting to participate in research. Troughs in recruitment rates occurred during Northern Hemisphere summer vacation periods, and during Christmas periods. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that recruiting for a trial with community-dwelling family caregivers and people living with dementia is challenging, especially during a global pandemic. While spousal caregivers comprised the highest proportion of dyads recruited, overall spousal caregivers were more reluctant to consent to participate than adult child caregivers. More targeted recruitment strategies designed for minority groups are also needed to ensure broader representation in dementia treatment studies.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableEmpowering Caregivers of People Living with Dementia to Use Music Therapeutically at Home: Design Opportunities(ACM, 2020-12-02)Human-computer interaction researchers have explored how to design technologies to support people with dementia (PwD) and their caregivers, but limited attention has been given to how to facilitate music therapy in dementia care. The use of music to help manage the symptoms of dementia is often guided by a music therapist who adapts the intervention to respond to the changing needs of the person living with dementia. However, as the incidence of dementia increases worldwide, individualised therapy programs are less feasible, making it valuable to consider technology-based approaches. In this paper, we analyze data from case studies of home-based music therapy training interventions with two families. The findings show that embodied interactions supported the therapist in responding to the needs of the PwD and built an empathic environment that empowered the caregivers' learning. We discuss opportunities and challenges for designing technologies that support family caregivers' therapy-informed music use in dementia care.