The Short-Term Effects of Music Therapy on Different Types of Agitation in Adults with Alzheimer's

Abstract

From an adult day care center, 16 elderly participants diagnosed as having Alzheimer's disease were given a 30-minute music class once a week for four consecutive weeks. Agitation, as measured by the modified Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory, was assessed by each participant's primary daycare staff person one week prior to the treatment and within 45 minutes to one hour after each music class. Paired t-tests showed that agitation was significantly reduced compared to the baseline measure. Specifically, music therapy reduced most types of agitation except for most types of physical agitation such as hitting or spitting. This suggests that music therapy can have value in reducing agitation in Alzheimer's participants.