Music Cued Exercises for People Living with Dementia:A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: Dementia can be associated with motor and non-motor disorders such as cognitive impairment, depression, and behavioral disturbance. The symptoms typically progress gradually over time. Music-cued exercises have been of therapeutic interest in recent years, especially to enable people with chronic neurological diseases to move more easily and to experience greater well-being. Objective: To investigate whether music-cued exercises are more effective than usual care for the management of motor and non-motor symptoms in people living with dementia.Methods: Systematic searching of the international literature was conducted in January 2018. Keywords were searched through electronic databases including MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, the Web of Science, Science Direct, Wiley online library, and JOVE. The Cochrane collaboration tool was used to assess the risk of bias of the randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The Downs and Black checklist assessed the quality of non-RCTs.Results: Twelve studies met the eligibility criteria, including 4 RCTs. Three investigated the effects of music-cued exercises on motor performance, four examined non-motor outcomes, four quantified the level of exercise participation, and one examined both motor and non-motor outcomes. The included studies were of modest to low quality. Conclusion:There is growing evidence for the beneficial effects of music-cued exercises for people living with dementia. Enjoyable music and physical exercises matched to rhythmical music appear to have benefits for some individuals. The dosage of music-cued exercise is a key determinant of the motor and non-motor outcomes in people living with a variety of forms of dementia.

Impacts of Music Intervention on Dementia: A Review Using Meta-Narrative Method and Agenda for Future Research

“…Previous studies have identified some areas that need to be covered to draw clear conclusions on music’s efficacy for PWD. Some of the suggested areas such as combining MT with other activities [ 10 , 47 , 49 ], doing further research and methodological design [ 2 , 14 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 36 , 39 , 46 , 49 ], using a larger sample of randomized clinical trials [ 36 , 40 , 41 , 49 , 50 ], and considering the impact of music on different types and stages of dementia [ 49 ] are aligned with the items that we are going to discuss. Based on our investigation, the following gaps need to be addressed in experiment design and methodologies in future studies to have more reliable and evidence-based results.…”

“…Previous review studies have limited their focus to the following aspects: Specific symptoms of dementia such as depression [ 19 , 20 , 36 , 37 ], agitation [ 20 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 ], cognition and memory [ 2 , 14 , 40 , 41 , 42 ], quality of life/well-being [ 43 , 44 ], and anxiety [ 19 , 36 , 37 , 44 ]; Group music therapy [ 45 ]; Specific stage or type of dementia [ 20 , 41 , 46 ]; Recorded music [ 21 ]; Music and exercise [ 47 ]; Assessment tools for measuring music’s impact [ 48 ]; Residents living in a residential aged care facility [ 19 ]; and Individualized music [ 46 ]. …”

Therapeutic Dancing for Frail Older People in Residential Aged Care: A Thematic Analysis of Barriers and Facilitators to Implementation

“…All interviews were conducted privately between the interviewer and the staff member. The interview schedule (Table 1) was derived from the findings of a recent systematic review (Gomaa et al., 2018) and in consultation with content experts. The semistructured interviews were approximately 30 to 45 minutes in duration and were digitally audio-recorded, independently converted into documents and checked for accurate transcription of the recordings by SCS.…”

“…(2016) have shown that frail older adults often retain the ability to move to a beat and this could help to mitigate disruptive behaviors, anxiety, and depressive symptoms in some individuals. Music-cued dancing activities may also motivate people to move and help them to enjoy and sustain exercising for longer periods (Gomaa, Wittwer, Grenfell, Sawan, & Morris, 2018). Moreover, Melhuish, Beuzeboc, and Guzmán (2017) showed that both music therapy and dance therapy to music can help to enable care staff to provide a meaningful care environment within the context of residential aged care.…”

A Home-Based, Music-Cued Movement Program Is Feasible and May Improve Gait in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy

“…In AD pathology which does not feature the lack of internal beat generation associated with BG dysfunction, music cued-exercises have also been shown to improve motor performance (21, 22). A suggested mechanism is that external cues may induce motor learning rather than just replacing faulty timekeeping (23).…”