Comparative Analysis of Two Musical Genres Within a Multisensory Environmental Intervention

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine if there were any differences in the behavioral responses of persons with dementia while listening to nonreligious and religious music within a multisensory environment. RESEARCH DESIGN: A within-subjects, repeated measures design was used. METHOD: Participants were exposed to both musical genres during multiple sessions over a 4-week period. Neuropsychiatric symptoms were recorded before and after the musical intervention. Behavioral responses to the music were recorded while listening to the music. FINDINGS: No significant difference was found between the numbers of neuropsychiatric behaviors observed before and after the participants listened to the nonreligious and religious music. A significant difference was found between the musical interventions as a whole and the number of agitated behaviors before and after intervention. No significant difference was found in the observed behavioral responses with the nonreligious and religious music. CONCLUSIONS: Music can be a useful intervention to reduce neuropsychiatric symptoms in persons with dementia.