Effects of music therapy in reducing falls among patients with dementia in a long-term facility: a cohort study

Abstract

Background/Aims Music therapy as an intervention can reduce stress, pain, depression, isolation and anxiety without the risk of side effects associated with pharmacological interventions. Individuals with dementia are at a higher risk of falls compared to older adults with no dementia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of music therapy in reducing the number of falls among patients with dementia in a long-term care facility. Methods The Morse Fall Scale was used pre-intervention and post-intervention to assess at-risk patients. Patient's attendance in music therapy and falls were tracked daily. The music sessions took place three times a week for 30 minutes. Two groups consisting of 13 patients each were included. Results There was a highly significantly higher numbers of falls reported pre-intervention (t(26)=4.108, P<0.001 at P=0.000, 95% confidence interval 0.78–2.33) compared to fall rates post-intervention (t(26)=2.842, P<0.01 at P=0.009, 95% confidence interval 0.08–0.51). A total of 80% reported no falls post-intervention compared to 62.9% reporting falls pre-intervention. Conclusions The study demonstrated that supervised music therapy is effective on fall reduction in people with dementia. Implications for practice Music sessions can be implemented in care homes for people with dementia to help reduce falls.