Dementia, Nursing Homes Residents
Conditions
Keywords
Dementia, Nursing Home Residents, Singing, Biomarkers, NPI-Q
Brief summary
This study intends to investigate whether a singing programme for nursing home residents living with dementia can reduce the mental and physiological effects of dementia. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does participating in the Sing Out Loud (SOL) singing intervention lead to an improvement in the physiological well-being (increase in oxytocin and reduction in cortisol levels) of persons living with dementia (PWDs) in nursing homes? 2. Will participation in the SOL singing intervention result in an improvement in PWDs' overall mood, temperament, and mental health (indicated by symptoms such as apathy, aggression, and depression). Researchers will compare the singing group to the control group to see if they exhibit reduced levels of apathy, aggression, and depression, and whether their levels of oxytocin and cortisol (collected via salivary biomarkers) have increased and decreased, respectively. Researchers will compare the SOL singing intervention with a waitlist control group to see if the SOL singing intervention increases the feelings of social connection, reduces stress, or improves the symptoms of dementia in nursing home residents. Participants will be randomly assigned to a singing intervention or waitlist control group. The intervention involves an 8-week long singing programme with one practice session a week, culminating in an additional full dress rehearsal and private showcase performance for their family members at a concert venue.
Interventions
OTHERSinging
The programme consists of one 75-min-long group singing session per week for 8 weeks, followed by a dress rehearsal and a final performance. The final rehearsal session and showcase performance will be held at a concert venue, while the 8 practice sessions will be conducted at the nursing home. Each session will kick off with a "Hello song", followed by warm-up activities and vocal exercises. Participants will then sing different songs to explore and rehearse as a group, before concluding with a "Goodbye song". All sessions throughout the programme are similarly structured to provide consistency for participants.
Sponsors
National University of Singapore
Esplanade
APEX Harmony Lodge
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
21 Years to 90 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
for Patients: * Aged 59 to 90 years old * Diagnosed with dementia * Living in the nursing home * Interested in participating in the SOL programme * Able to provide saliva samples
Exclusion criteria
for Patients: * Unable to provide saliva samples Inclusion Criteria for Psychologists: * Aged 21 to 65 years old * Is the psychologist of a patient who is participating in the SOL programme * Is able to speak English
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Changes from baseline in Oxytocin and Cortisol levels at 8 weeks | From the beginning of the intervention (session 1) on week 1, to the final practice session (session 8) on week 8 | Oxytocin and Cortisol levels will be collected via saliva samples. Increases in level of Oxytocin is indicative of increased feelings of social connection, while increased level of Cortisol is indicative of higher levels of stress |
| Change from baseline in the severity and distress of neuropsychiatric symptoms at 8 weeks | From 2 weeks before session 1, up to the final practice session (session 8) | Neuropsychiatric symptoms will be collected via the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q), which measures delusions, hallucinations, agitation/aggression, depression/dysphoria, anxiety, elation/euphoria, apathy/indifference, disinhibition, irritability, motor disturbance, nightime behaviours, and appetite. Higher scores indicate increased levels of severity or distress related to the symptom in question. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Qualitative feedback | Within two weeks after the programme has ended | This will be collected via a focus group discussion with the nursing home's clinical staff (psychosocial team) to collect qualitative data on any observed changes in participants' mood, behaviour, temperament, or relationships between participants and staff. Additionally, the nursing home's psychosocial team will also be asked about process factors (challenges in implementation, structure and delivery of the programme), satisfaction, |
Countries
Singapore
Outcome results
None listed