None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
An eHealth solution – Music Attuned Technology for Care via eHealth (MATCH) – was developed to support family carers of people living with dementia to use music intentionally to support care. The mobile application was developed as an extension of an in-person music intervention training program (HOMESIDE) which involved a qualified music therapist offering one on one training to carers in the intentional use of music. To create scalable solutions for the growing number of people living with dementia in the community, we developed a minimal viable product, the MATCH-MVP. A minimal viable product (MVP) is a version for the new product that allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about customers and is a concept used in entrepreneurship that stresses the impact of learning in new product development. Our Proof-of-concept study aims to test the initial MATCH-MVP prototype in people’s homes to: a) examine the user experience and evaluate the design features of the prototype, and b) test and evaluate whether the MATCH-MVP content is feasible, acceptable, understandable, useful, and the content is learned by carers of people living with dementia.
Interventions
Family caregivers (FCs) will receive training to use Music Intervention (MI). The training will be delivered via a mobile application and comprises training and case study videos, guides and a sample music playlist instructing the FCs on methods and strategies for using music to assist the person living with dementia (PwD) to become calmer (if agitated) or more energised (if apathetic). FCs will be instructed on how to choose music and engage the PwD in effective and respectful discussions with
Family caregivers (FCs) will receive training to use Music Intervention (MI). The training will be delivered via a mobile application and comprises training and case study videos, guides and a sample music playlist instructing the FCs on methods and strategies for using music to assist the person living with dementia (PwD) to become calmer (if agitated) or more energised (if apathetic). FCs will be instructed on how to choose music and engage the PwD in effective and respectful discussions with the aim of evoking autobiographical memories and sharing meaningful experiences. Strategies to engage the PwD and create opportunities for meaningful dialogue with the PwD will be provided, as well as training FCs to notice the PwD’s positive and negative responses to music. The activities to be taught comprise a) singing familiar/preferred music followed by FC-facilitated discussions about the meaning of the songs for the dyad, the PwD, and significant others, and any associated memories; b) movement to music (e.g. upper body and arms imitating familiar dance movements to music) to assist in regulating arousal; and c) listening to familiar/preferred relaxing or enlivening music dependent upon behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) present at the time to assist in regulating arousal. Following watching the training videos, the FC will be guided to try out some of the methods learned with the PwD. The time required for training will depend on the Dyad needs: the five available modules have video duration varying from 12 to 70 minutes. For example, if the dyad needs are related to relaxation, the time to watch the videos twice is 25 minutes. If the needs are related to movement, a module with a safety checklist will add to training techniques to support the choice of safe movements for the PwD, taking the training time to 70 minutes. The FCs can return to the material always when it is needed. The FCs are then instructed to use music in a purposeful way at least 5x per week for approximately 30 mins over an 8-week period. Weekly phone conversations (up to 15 minutes each) with FCs will be used to support the FC, check-in as to how they are progressing with the use of the music or any adverse event and answer any questions they may have.
Sponsors
The University of Melbourne
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria of people living with dementia: • Home co-habiting with at least one other person who nominates to be the primary caregiver. • No age limits are stipulated so people with early onset of dementia may also be included. • Formal diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment or Dementia. Inclusion Criteria of Family Caregivers: • close in relationship to the person living with dementia • co-habiting with the person with dementia.
Exclusion criteria
• Dyads where there is no access to the internet or a mobile device where the app needs to be downloaded and accessed for study participation. • Hearing impairment that is not overcome by hearing support such as hearing aids for both family carer and person living with dementia • The carer does not have good knowledge of English. This is because the first minimum viable product is a mobile app version with basic features and only in English. Versions in other languages should be available as intermediate or advanced features in the mobile app.
Outcome results
None listed