Agitation in Dementia Associated with Alzheimer’s Disease: Response to Music Listening

Abstract

Agitation related to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients was a common complication resulting from the inability of the afflicted to execute activities of daily living (ADL). Evidence showed that music could reduce dementia-related agitation. The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental project was to determine if or to what degree the implementation of music listening sessions, when compared with no music, reduced agitation in adult dementia residents in an urban assisted living facility (ALF) in southern New York, over four weeks. The theoretical frameworks utilized were Kolcaba’ s theory of comfort and Watson’s caring theory. Data was obtained using the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory-Short Form (CMAI-SF) for adult dementia patients (n=10) compared during repeated measures over four weeks. A one-way ANOVA was conducted and results showed agitated behaviors were higher (65.3 or 93.2%) the first week during standard care with no music and lower (23.7 or 33.8%) the remaining three weeks during implemented music listening sessions. The difference was 93.2-33.8= 59.4. The one-way ANOVA results showed a statistically significant difference between the repeated measures (F=3.77, p = 0.036). A post hoc Tukey HSD analysis showed both statistical and clinically significant in the reduction in agitation scores was significant (p=0.000) at all levels during the music listening intervention, indicating the intervention decreased agitation levels in participants. The intervention was to be sustained at project site, and replication of the project was recommended in larger settings over longer periods of time.